


Determination Duo

by TheDeterminedDuo



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Agender Chara, Agender Frisk, Chara and Frisk bonding, Currently having writer's block!!!!, Non-Evil Chara, Not dead don't worry, Pacifist Frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-06-07 03:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6782659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDeterminedDuo/pseuds/TheDeterminedDuo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The caverns under Mt. Ebott are filled with monsters, all on the lookout for a human.  After all, they only need one more SOUL before they can leave forever.  It's really no place for a child like Frisk.  At least, it wouldn't be if it weren't for the fact that they have Chara by their side.  For all the help Chara gives them, Frisk might have to find something to give back.  ...But maybe they already are returning the favor, without even realizing it...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallen Down

Frisk followed after the monster that had saved them from the flower - she had said her name was Toriel, right? - quietly. Flowey had caught them off guard, and they had been so sure that was the end of their life, and they weren't ready for that. To say they were slightly afraid would be an understatement. They didn't know the first thing about where they were, or the creatures they might find...

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one," Toriel said, smiling at them. Frisk offered a smile in return. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Frisk watched as Toriel stepped across four of the six switches on the floor, then pulled down the lever on the wall. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel smiled again, gently, before turning and walking into the next room. Frisk took a chance to have a look around the room when a groggy voice drew their attention.

"Man, come on... I was having the nicest nap..." In the doorway was a child, roughly their own age, in a green shirt with a single yellow stripe through the middle of it. They looked an awful lot like they did, only their hair and skin were lighter colors, and they had piercing red eyes. Not a good sign, Frisk had come to think, after watching movies when they were younger. "Did you wake me up, kid? What's up with that? You got some kind of problem with me?"

"U-Umm... N-no?" Frisk said, as they backed into a corner. "W-Where did you come from? Did you fall down, too...?"

The child groaned as they rubbed their eyes. "No, I've been here my whole life," they said, sarcastically. "What do YOU think?" Frisk flinched back at their tone, causing a small smile to break onto their face. "Well, well, look at that. You're a sensitive one, aren't you. Doesn't matter in the end, though, I guess. Humans are all the same deep down. So what do you want, huh? Why'd you wake me up?"

"I-I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. I... I just tripped and fell down a hole up on Mt. Ebott... I woke up down here, and... and then I met a flower, and he... He tried to kill me, and..." Tears started forming at the edges of their eyes. "I just want to go home..."

The child sighed. "Why would you want to go back to the surface? Humanity's nothing but a huge stain on the face of this Earth. Monsters are so much better." They turned their head towards Frisk, a smile on their face. "The flower must've sensed your heart, kid. That's got to be it." They walked over and placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "You listen to me kid. You want my advice? The first monster you see, lay down and let it kill you."

"What? H-How can you say that?"

"It's for the best in the end. Monsters aren't fond of humans, and neither am I. You'd be doing them all a favor if you gave up your SOUL for them. Trust me." Frisk's head fell. The child suddenly felt they'd done something wrong. "Hey, don't take it like that. I'm just telling you what I know. Listen. You want to go home? I might know a way. But I'll need you to trust me for as long as we're together, okay? Don't go stabbing me in the back."

"I-I would... I would never..." Frisk said, looking up.

"Good. Now, listen. I'm just going to need you to follow the path forward, alright? That's IT. Try to stay away from the Monsters. If they find out you're a human, they will NOT hesitate to kill you." They stood up. "The name's Chara, by the way." They walked to the door and waited patiently for Frisk.

Frisk hesitantly followed after Chara, worried that, maybe, Flowey had been right. Maybe this really was a 'kill or be killed' world. They looked to the stick in their hand. The thought of using it as a weapon filled them with disgust. But, they thought, if it really came to it...

No.

No, they wouldn't. They wouldn't betray Chara. On their watch, nobody would die.

They were brave. They were a pacifist.

They were filled with DETERMINATION.

-

"Kid, what the heck are you doing?" Chara asked, as Frisk wiggled their hips back and forth at the pile of slime in front of them. "...And... more importantly... why is Moldsmal doing it, too?"

"I don't know! ...I think I'm flirting with it?" Frisk shrugged, and stopped wiggling their hips, after which Moldsmal stopped, as well. They took a moment to manipulate their SOUL out of the way of Moldsmal's magic attacks before turning to Chara. "Do you think it likes me?"

Chara stared at Moldsmal, a puzzled expression on their face. "I... can't tell. It has no mouth. Or eyes. Or FACE. Why do you care? Are you honestly telling me you'd date this thing?"

"Why not?" Frisk turned to Moldsmal and gave it a smile. "They're cute." Frisk approached it and kneeled down in front of it. "I don't want to fight you. You're free to go." Moldsmal jiggled for a bit before it turned and slithered away. A bit like a slug, Frisk thought. Where it stood a moment before was a single gold coin. They picked it up, placing it into their pocket with the others they had, and continued on down the hall.

Chara just watched them go. Something in them told them that Frisk was different. So far, the stick they held had never been raised against a monster. So far, Frisk had been showing MERCY to everyone they met. Maybe... _'No. They're the exception, not the rule. Even if they do show kindness... It's only a matter of time...'_ Chara shook the thought off before running to catch up with Frisk.


	2. Ghost Fight

"What exactly are you hoping to accomplish this way, kid?" Chara stood with their back against the wall as Frisk sat patiently and quietly on the floor, staring down a ghost that lay in their path. "There's no way around and it looks like they're not moving. You're going to have to force your way past eventually."

Frisk, meanwhile, weighed their options. The ghost wasn't nearly as wide as the path in front of them - they could probably slip past, right? They stood up and tried to slide through the space between the ghost and the wall, only for them to be forced back by some kind of mysterious energy. "Wha- hey, what gives?"

"Ghosts give off a LOT of magical energy, kid. Their entire bodies are made of magic, and they do things like that - consciously or subconsciously. I'm telling you, the only way you're getting by is to force your way through. You're going to have to FIGHT the ghost." Chara pushed off the wall and placed a gentle hand on Frisk's shoulder. "It'll be alright. You wouldn't be able to hurt them even if you tried." Chara gently nudged Frisk forward, offering a small smile of reassurance.

"Umm... E-Excuse me...?" Frisk said, gently nudging the ghost. Before they could react, their SOUL appeared before them, and the ghost levitated upwards. Frisk thought fast, immediately choosing to ACT civil and with kindness. "...You, umm, were pretending to sleep, right...?" The ghost gave a quiet nod. "You were... You were doing a good job!" Frisk gave a little fist pump to emphasize their point.

"Heh......" The ghost gave a half-hearted smile, which quickly faded. Frisk wondered why, but had to take some time to manipulate their SOUL to avoid the tears falling from the ghost's eyes. A moment later, and Frisk's SOUL returned to the four boxes before them. They chose to ACT once again.

"Really, I've never seen such a good pretend sleeper!" They clasped their hands together. "You almost had me fooled into thinking you really WERE asleep!" Behind them, Chara gave an exasperated shake of their head.

"Heh heh...." Frisk prepared for another attack, but instead, a pattern of letters appeared behind their SOUL. The ghost quietly read them out loud. "Really not feeling up to it right now. Sorry..."

"What was that?" Frisk asked, motioning towards where their SOUL had been a moment before.

"That was a Gray Attack." Frisk looked puzzled. "Okay, it's like this. Every Monster you've met so far has used White Attacks, right? Those are just... Attacks. It doesn't matter what your SOUL is doing, if it gets hit by one, you lose HP. A Gray Attack is different than a White Attack. There's no way for it to hurt you. Not too many Monsters will use Gray Attacks, though, so don't be expecting them on your journey." Frisk smiled and nodded in understanding. "Good, now hurry up and finish this fight, will you? Just ask them to move aside. It doesn't seem like they have much of a sense of humor anyway-"

"Oh, I'm REAL funny." Frisk and Chara both looked to the ghost, who seemed to be glaring at Chara.

Frisk responded by choosing to ACT once more. "Don't mind Chara, they're just a little grumpy 'cuz I woke them up from a nap. Oh, and by the way, don't worry about not feeling up to using a White Attack last turn, I understand!" The ghost gave a smile in response before motioning for Frisk's attention. "Hmm?"

They then proceeded to use their tears to form a top hat on their head. Frisk smiled at the trick. "I call it Dapper Blook... Do you like it..." All Frisk seemed to do to respond was give a soft applause, so as not to startle the ghost. "Oh, gee......." The fight concluded, Frisk's SOUL returning to its host, and the ghost hovering a few feet away. "I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody here...... But today I met someone friendly........" They were quiet for a second before they spoke up again. "Oh, I'm sorry...... I'm rambling...... I'll get out of your way......." Before Frisk could say anything in response, they faded away, leaving Frisk and Chara alone in the room.

"Well, that went well, I think!" Frisk turned to Chara, who stared where the ghost had been, dumbfounded. "What?"

"Why didn't you just ask them to move? It would've been that simple."

"They seemed like they could use some cheering up," Frisk said, shrugging.

"But did you really mean what you said?" Chara extended their arms in frustration. "They were just saying the letter 'Z' out loud, repeatedly. It was kind of obnoxious, really."

"Of course I meant it! They were awfully dedicated to pretending to sleep. I'm pretty sure the only reason they even stopped was because we got into a FIGHT," Frisk explained.

"Kid, that's really-" Before Chara could finish their thought, Frisk cut them off.

"Please stop calling me 'kid,' Chara. My name is Frisk."

-

"Do you like falling down holes?" Chara asked, as they leapt down after Frisk, who had landed rather unceremoniously in the pile of leaves below. "Or are you just really unlucky?"

Frisk rubbed their knee where they had landed, taking a look at it to see it was scraped a bit. "I'm probably just unlucky." Without saying anything else, they pulled the bandage off of their cheek and placed it gently on their knee, instead. Chara seemed unnerved by this.

"...Umm... Don't you have any other bandages?" They pointed to Frisk's knee.

"No." Chara seemed surprised. "I'm always scraping myself up. Eventually, I felt like I was bothering my guardians asking for bandages all the time, so I just kind of stopped and kept using the same one over and over until it was just all crusty from so much dried blood."

"This one's way past its expiration date in that sense, then." Chara gave a light chuckle. "C'mon, you can still walk, right? Maybe Toriel has a clean one for you." Frisk smiled, and the two stood up to walk to the tunnel leading back to the upper level, but Frisk stopped and gasped. "Hmm?"

"Who left this cute ribbon here?" They picked it up and smiled. "It's a little faded, but..." They reached up to the side of their head and tied the ribbon into a little bow. "How do I look?"

Chara smiled. "Cuter. Which is good..." Their gaze fell to the floor. "...Because if you're cuter... Monsters won't hit you as hard..." They silently climbed into the tunnel, and Frisk followed after a moment later. "...Umm, anyway... It shouldn't be much longer until we get to Toriel's house, Frisk. Just keep moving."

-

Frisk waved to the Froggit as they stepped through the doorway onto a balcony overlooking a city. They ran up to the edge and hoisted themselves up to get a better look. "It's quite a sight, isn't it?" Their attention turned to Chara, who came into the room behind them. "Welcome to Home, Frisk." Before Frisk could say anything, they added, "Yes, I spoke correctly. The city's name is Home." Frisk nodded and turned back to the sight before them.

"I've never seen anything like it!"

"Me, either." Chara hoisted themselves up, as well, and looked out over the city, forlornly. "I used to have some good friends living here."

"You did? You made friends with some of the Monsters, too?" Frisk turned to Chara.

"Yeah, I did. They were all pretty great people, but they've all moved away by now, I think. They probably live in the places beyond the Ruins."

"How do we get out of the Ruins, exactly?" Frisk tilted their head.

"You'll have to ask Toriel. She knows this place better than anyone so she'll know right where the exit is." Chara closed their eyes and smiled. "Do you mind if I stay here for a bit?" Frisk nodded and lowered themselves back to the floor. As they turned around, they noticed a plastic knife on the floor and picked it up.

_'Why is there a toy knife here...?'_


	3. Heartache

Chara stepped into the darkened room to find Frisk asleep in an old bed. They looked to be sleeping rather peacefully - Chara took this as a sign that Toriel and perhaps the other monsters no longer frightened them. On the floor nearby was a slice of steamy butterscotch-cinnamon pie. The scent made their mouth water, but they ignored it. After all, it was clearly meant for the sleeping child. But, they wondered, would Frisk even like the pie? After all, Frisk had a preference for cinnamon over butterscotch. Did they like butterscotch at all? Ultimately, Chara decided whether they would like it or not was irrelevant, as it was still meant for Frisk, not them. Chara chuckled before moving to lean against the far wall of the room, waiting for Frisk to wake up.

Some time later, Frisk began to stir. They rolled over and sat up, rubbing their eyes. When they blinked open, the first thing they noticed was Chara. "Oh, there you are, Chara. How long have you been there?"

Chara smiled as Frisk climbed out of bed. "A while. I stood out on the balcony thinking about... things... for some time, but, y'know, a promise is a promise. I had to come find you eventually." They crossed the room to take a seat on the bed now that Frisk no longer slept upon it. "So, listen. You still want to go home, right?" Frisk nodded. "Then we're going to have to go talk to Toriel. But maybe you want to take a look around first? Just to make sure...?"

Frisk thought for a moment before picking up the slice of pie on the floor. "I suppose I could have a quick look around..." They smiled as Chara stood up and followed them out of the room. At the far end of the hall, the two found a mirror that was just low enough that Frisk could see their own reflection in it. A playful smile crossed Frisk's face as they waved at themselves.

"It's you!" Chara chuckled. "Toriel's house is nice, isn't it? She likes children, so she tries to make everything as accessible and safe as it can possibly be for them."

"I kind of guessed that," Frisk admitted. "This place just has a sense of safety to it. Like, nothing could ever hurt someone who lived here..." Their attention turned to the far side of the house. "But I still need to go. I have to get home." Chara nodded.

"I understand. If you really need to, then let's go talk to Toriel." The two quickly made their way to the living room.

"Mom?"

-

"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others." Toriel turned towards Frisk, a stern expression on her face. "There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!" Frisk was taken by surprise as Toriel engaged them in a FIGHT, their SOUL leaving their body and situating itself in one of the four boxes that always appeared before them whenever this happened.

"Why? Why is she going to make me do this?" Frisk asked, through tears.

"It's a test, Frisk. Trust me. She wants to know how you plan to survive out in the Underground when all you have is that Toy Knife." Chara stepped between Frisk and Toriel. "I don't know what she wants you to do, but if you hurt her, Frisk, I will NEVER forgive you, understand?!"

Frisk's hand gripped the handle of the plastic knife tighter. They opted to ACT, trying to think of something to say to Toriel to try to get her to move out of the way. But no conversation topics came to mind. Their turn used, their SOUL moved into the large box before them, while Toriel began casting fire magic that came at Frisk's SOUL from all sides. Frisk tried their best to avoid the fireballs, but so many were being flung at them at once, they couldn't manage to avoid all of them. When the attack concluded, Frisk weighed their options. Fighting was out of the question. Why they held the knife, they weren't even sure, but they weren't going to fight, and talking didn't seem to be doing anything. That left running away... or refusing to fight. But which was the correct option...? Frisk decided to test it by showing MERCY, and sparing Toriel. "I don't want to fight you, mom..." Toriel said nothing and simply launched another attack at Frisk. This time, Frisk successfully managed to avoid the fireballs being thrown their way. It was now their turn again, and they used it to try sparing Toriel again. "Mom, please... I don't want to hurt you..." Once again, Toriel said nothing.

"This can't be right, Frisk... Look through your options again, there must be something you're missing," Chara instructed. "If not... Then... I think maybe you ought to just stay here, if she won't let you leave." Frisk did as instructed, weighing their options, but again, the only peaceful solution that seemed to come to mind was running away from the battle. But something in them wouldn't allow that. They had to get home.

And so they spared Toriel again. "Mom, please! I don't like this!" Toriel's expression shifted. Frisk had trouble reading it, given the poor lighting in the room, but she looked... confused. As if she hadn't expected Frisk to be so merciful. Regardless, she threw another volley of fireballs at Frisk's SOUL, this one coming in two separate criss-crossing strings that Frisk had difficulty avoiding. Somehow, they managed, however. "Please don't make me FIGHT you, mom... Please..."

"What are you doing?" Frisk's heart jumped. That was different! She was reacting to their persistence! That was probably a good sign, right? Toriel clenched her eyes shut and threw more fireballs Frisk's way. One of them managed to hit Frisk's SOUL before her turn was over.

"I'm... I'm refusing to fight you!" Frisk held their fists in front of them, an expression of Determination upon their face.

Toriel shook her head and shouted, "Attack or run away!" She then proceeded to launch another attack at Frisk. Several of her fireballs struck Frisk's SOUL, and she found herself worrying that she might take the child's life without meaning to.

"Frisk, she's not going to accept your MERCY while her name is white! Why are you still trying?!" Chara shouted. "Just run! Stay here with her! It's what she wants, don't you want her to be happy?!"

"Of course I want her to be happy...," Frisk said, weakly. "But... But I have to get home... And that's why I need to get past you, mom... But I'm not going to fight you. I can't."

"What are you proving this way?" Hesitantly, she launched another set of fireballs at Frisk. But, as she took another look at the child, she could see they were in pain. She couldn't bring herself to hurt them anymore, and willed the attack away from Frisk's SOUL. Frisk looked at her, perplexed.

"I'm proving that I can be strong without fighting! Please, mom, just let me through! Don't make me fight you, I can't do it!" Frisk called, through their tears.

"Fight me or leave!" Again, Toriel willed her attack away from Frisk's SOUL. It was the same exact attack as her last turn.

"I can't, mom... I can't do it... I can't bring myself to hurt you..."

"Stop it." Once again, Toriel used the same attack as before, the fireballs dodging Frisk's SOUL finally catching their attention.

"You... You can't do it either... Can you?" Frisk asked, looking Toriel in the eyes. They could see so much heartache in them.

"Stop looking at me that way." Frisk watched as Toriel vainly consumed her turn, once again, with an attack that avoided their SOUL. They wondered why she continued this way instead of just ending the battle right now, since neither party could bring themselves to hurt the other.

"Mom. Please, I need to go. I won't fight my way through you."

"Go away!" Chara sighed as they watched Toriel's attack.

"Frisk, why? Why are you still doing this?" They placed themselves between Frisk and Toriel again. "Monsters with white names don't accept MERCY, remember? The name has to be yellow! All you have left to do is run. Please, Frisk, just do it."

"I'm not going to run, and I'm not going to fight. Froggit may have said that a Monster will only accept MERCY if their name is yellow, but they also said..."

"...Maybe... Maybe someday you'll have to do it even if the name ISN'T yellow..." Chara considered what Frisk was doing and nodded. "Alright, if you think this will work, fine. But if she doesn't let you go, I want you to run. Don't hurt her."

Frisk nodded. They noticed it was their turn again, and that, evidently, Toriel must've taken her turn while Chara was talking to them. "Mom, please, won't you move?"

"I know you want to go home, but..." Toriel placed her hand to her chest. She did not launch an attack, and simply returned Frisk to their turn.

"But...?"

"But please... Go upstairs now."

Frisk shook their head. "As lovely as your home is, Toriel, I just can't stay here."

"I promise I will take good care of you here." Toriel offered a smile, hoping to convince Frisk she was sincere.

But Frisk didn't need convincing. They knew Toriel had a good heart, and considered only their best interest. "I know you would, but... But you know I can't stay deep down, right?"

"I know we do not have much, but..."

"Mom, please...," Frisk pleaded. "I need you to move."

"We can have a good life here." Toriel folded her hands together and forced a smile onto her face.

Frisk sighed, taking a step towards Toriel. "I don't doubt it for a minute, mom. Really. But you have to let me go."

Toriel's face fell once again. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

Frisk's gaze fell to their shoes. "I have my reasons for needing to go back home... It's not that I don't like you, mom... But, really, I can survive without hurting anyone!"

"Please, go upstairs."

"Mom!" Toriel remained silent. "Mom, please!" This time, Toriel chuckled sadly. "...Mom? Is something wrong?"

"Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child." Toriel placed her head in her hand. Frisk could've sworn they saw a tear slip from one of her eyes.

"Mom, I promise... I'll be alright. I've seen monsters fight before. I've got what it takes - and I didn't hurt a single one of them." When Toriel remained silent once again, Frisk spoke up. "Mom, I-"

"No, I understand." Frisk gasped. "You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside." At last, Toriel relented and accepted Frisk's MERCY. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief when their SOUL returned to their body and Toriel crossed the room towards them.

-

"Clever. VERRRRYYY clever." Frisk stepped back as Flowey began to speak. "You think you're really smart, don't you?" Frisk shrugged. What was he talking about? "In this world, it's kill or BE killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person." He let out a sinister chuckle, which unnerved Frisk almost as much as when he had tried to kill them earlier. "I bet you feel really great," Flowey said, with a smug expression. "You didn't kill anybody THIS time. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then?" Flowey's face turned extremely sinister. "Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world... and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the prince of this world's future." Frisk backed away from the flower ever more, nearly back in the long hall that had lead them to this room. "Don't worry, my little monarch. My plan isn't regicide. This is SO much more interesting." His face seemed to bulge out, growing in size, as he let out a sinister laugh before burrowing underground and leaving Frisk and Chara alone in the room.

"Was that the flower you said tried to kill you?" Chara asked, pointing at where Flowey had been. Frisk nodded. "Geez, what's wrong with him? Seems a little cranky about something. Look, Frisk, I know you're a little shaken about that, but I've seen you. You're not going to give up on anyone, are you?" Frisk shook their head. "No, I didn't think so. You haven't hurt anyone yet. Let's try to keep it that way out there, alright?"

Frisk took a deep breath before nodding. "Alright." Chara crossed the room to the door, waiting for Frisk. After Frisk crossed the room as well, they stepped out the door of the Ruins and into a snowy landscape.


	4. sans.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" As if the cold air outside the Ruins wasn't chilling Frisk enough, the feeling of being watched up until just now had only made the chills down their spine even worse. It didn't help that the voice had a foreboding quality to it. "Turn around and shake my hand." Frisk glanced to Chara, who nervously nodded, urging Frisk to follow the order. Hesitantly, Frisk turned themselves around to see a dark figure extending an arm towards them. They slowly raised their arm, grasping the hand, and...

...The sound of a whoopee cushion echoed through the trees. The figure before Frisk finally looked up, revealing himself to be a skeleton, and let out a hearty chuckle. It took Frisk a moment to realize that they had just been the victim of a harmless prank, and they began to chuckle as well. Beside them, even Chara had a small smile on their face. "heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny." A moment later, their laughter subsided, and the skeleton continued, "anyways, you're a human, right?" Frisk smiled and gave a nod. "that's hilarious."

"Wait, huh?" Frisk's expression shifted to one of confusion. "Why is that hilarious?" They turned to Chara, who shrugged.

"Beats me, Frisk." Frisk turned back to the skeleton.

"i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now." Frisk and Chara both gasped, the former instinctively preparing themselves in case Sans engaged them in a FIGHT. "but... y'know... i don't really care about capturing anybody." Frisk relaxed, giving the skeleton a small smile. "now my brother, papyrus... he's a human hunting FANATIC."

Frisk flinched. "He... hunts humans?" Sans gave a nod. "Yikes... I guess maybe mom was right... It's dangerous out here... I don't suppose maybe you could tell me what he looks like?" They folded their hands together in a pleading manner, hoping to look more innocent so Sans might be willing to help them out. "You know, so I can stay out of his way?"

Sans chuckled in response, causing Frisk's face to fall, worried he wouldn't be willing to help them after all. Then, something caught Sans' eye, and a smirk crossed his face. "hey, actually... i think that's him over there."

"What?!" Frisk turned around in shock to see another skeleton standing some distance away. They couldn't tell what he was doing, but he wasn't looking in their direction at the moment. "I-I have to hide somewhere! Please tell me there's someplace safe I can hide nearby!"

"i have an idea." Sans pointed to the gate that was built over the bridge Frisk stood on. "go through this gate thingy." He smiled as Frisk made a face of confusion at him. "yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone." Before Frisk could say no, Sans held his arms out in front of him and began pushing Frisk towards his brother.

"Wait, wait, no! Stop!" They dug their heels into the snow, but somehow that barely seemed to slow Sans down at all. "I don't wanna die!"

"kid, relax, you're gonna be fine, okay?" Sans said, as they reached a clearing in the forest. Frisk looked around nervously and noticed there wasn't much here, besides what they could only guess was some kind of vending stall and a lamp - the silhouette of which looked remarkably like them from any given angle. Sans, noticing that Frisk looked anxious, smiled at them gently, and, in an effort to calm them down, pointed to the lamp. "quick, behind that conveniently shaped lamp." They nodded and shuffled over to the side of the lamp that would block Papyrus' view the most if he chose to come over, and adjusted their position so that it matched that of the lamp's silhouette from that angle.

"Ohhhh, this is going to be hilarious..." Chara chuckled. "Please tell me you don't really believe that lamp is going to stop him from seeing you."

"Shhh! I don't want Papyrus to notice me if I can help it, Chara!" Frisk whispered. "You have to hide somewhere. Sans said his brother is a human hunting fanatic, right? You're a human, aren't you?"

"I'm not too worried about that, Frisk. Something tells me Papyrus wouldn't notice me if I got up in his face and started waving a banner around." Chara crossed their arms, but walked over to the stand nearby to appease Frisk. They didn't make much of an effort to hide themselves, though. Moments later, as Frisk had feared, Papyrus ran into the clearing.

"sup, bro?" Sans said. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked to be trying to play off that a human was nearby.

"You know what 'sup,' brother! It's been eight days and you still haven't... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!" As he punctuated each word, Papyrus pointed an accusing finger at his brother. "You just hang around outside your station!" Papyrus made a gesture towards where Chara stood. The human wore a smug look on their face, which Frisk couldn't understand the reasoning for. "What are you even doing?!?"

"staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look?" Frisk's heart nearly stopped and they held their breath. Meanwhile, Chara looked irritated.

"Oh, he's trying to get you killed!" Chara pointed an accusing finger towards Sans. "You should've run when you had the chance, Frisk!"

"NO!! I don't have time for that!!" Papyrus screamed as he stamped his foot. "What if a human comes through here!?! I want to be ready!!! I will be the one! I MUST be the one!" He turned his attention back onto his brother before saying, "I will capture a human!" Frisk felt themselves begin to tense up. Perhaps Chara was right. Maybe they should've run. Maybe there was still a chance if they could get out from behind the lamp without being noticed...? But that wasn't likely; they could feel a gaze on their back. It could only be Sans, because Papyrus didn't seem to notice they were there. For that matter, Frisk realized, neither of the brothers seemed to be acknowledging Chara. They were shaken from their thoughts as Papyrus continued, "Then, I, the Great Papyrus... will get all the things I utterly deserve! Respect... Recognition... I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard!" Royal Guard? Oh, joy, so there were probably even more skeletons running around looking for them. "People will ask, to, be my, 'friend?' I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning!" Frisk couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at that.

"hmm... maybe this lamp will help you out," Sans suggested, raising one shoulder in Frisk's direction. They had to fight the urge to curl up into a defensive ball.

"SANS!! You are not helping!! You lazybones!! All you do is sit and boondoggle! You get lazier and lazier every day!!!"

"hey, take it easy. i've gotten a ton of work done today." Papyrus made a face as if he knew where this was going. "a skele-ton."

"SANS!!!" Frisk had to fight back a chuckle. Across the way, Chara burst into laughter.

"Hah! Oh my god, really?! Skeleton puns? Okay I take back what I said earlier, this guy's great!" They slammed their fists on the desk of the station in a rimshot. Sans and Papyrus looked towards the station in confusion, but after not seeming to find anything interesting, returned their attention to one another.

"come on, you're smiling," Sans said, noting the smile which hadn't faded from Papyrus' face since Sans had made the pun.

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" He sighed. "Why does someone as great as me... have to do so much just to get some recognition..."

A smirk worked its way onto Sans' face - how that could be, Frisk wasn't totally sure, since Sans seemed to be wearing a smile all the time. Even his neutral expression looked quite happy. "wow, sounds like you're really working yourself..." Chara looked about ready to leap out of the sentry station. "down to the bone." And then they burst into laughter again and made another rimshot with their fists.

"How can you not like this guy?!" They said between breaths.

Papyrus huffed, stomping his foot. "I will attend to my puzzles!!! As for your work? Put a little more... 'BACKBONE' into it!" Chara snickered a bit before lightly drumming a third rimshot, which nobody seemed to pay any attention to. Papyrus cackled before running off the way he had come from - though he returned to the clearing to let out one last bit of a cackle - and Sans, Frisk, and Chara were left in the clearing.

"okay, you can come out now," Sans said, as his attention returned to Frisk. They stepped out from behind the lamp, turning their attention to the skeleton.

"Why did you keep trying to bring his attention to me, Sans? I thought you called me your friend. Were you trying to get me killed?" Sans let out a little chuckle.

"nah, that was just me being me, kiddo. don't take it personally. plus i know my brother well enough to know he'd think i was trying to play some kind of joke on him. he's, uh, not fond of jokes or pranks. even if he makes 'em himself from time to time. point is, you weren't in any danger." He offered his hand to Frisk to shake, which they hesitantly did. There was no whoopee cushion this time.

"Well, what about Chara? How come you didn't give them someplace to hide?"

"who?"

"My friend," Frisk said, gesturing to Chara, who had just walked up next to them. Sans seemed to be staring hard at where Chara stood, but couldn't seem to find anything.

"uh... right, uh, wasn't expecting you to bring a friend. that's all," he said, assuming that Frisk must've been talking about an imaginary friend. Frisk nodded, not connecting the dots. "so, uh, hey, listen. you oughtta get going. papyrus might come back, and if he does... you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes," Sans said, winking. Frisk nodded - after rolling their eyes playfully - and walked with a complaining Chara towards the path forward. "actually, hey... hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?" Frisk stopped and turned towards Sans. "i was thinking... my brother's been kind of down lately... he's never seen a human before. and seeing you might just make his day." They tensed up. Was he suggesting they let Papyrus find them? "don't worry. he's not dangerous. even if he tries to be."

"W-Well..." They twiddled their thumbs together, thinking it over. They glanced towards Chara, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Give him a hand, Frisk. He's a riot. Plus, I'd love to see what his brother's like when he gets going!" Frisk sighed.

"I guess I could help you out."

"thanks a million. i'll be up ahead." Without saying another word, Sans waved and... walked in the complete opposite direction, leaving both Frisk and Chara puzzled. After waiting for a moment, they proceeded to the next area. Here, a rush of DETERMINATION filled Frisk, and they breathed a sigh, feeling the strength they'd lost while FIGHTING Toriel return to them.

-

"Well, at the very least, Papyrus seems awfully forward about what he's trying to do," Chara offered, as they continued down the road. "I'm not so sure he's fully aware of what he's getting himself into, though. It seems a little odd that he doesn't know what'll happen to you if you're taken to the Capital."

"What WILL happen to me if I'm taken to the Capital, Chara?" Frisk asked, turning towards them.

Chara scratched at the back of their neck. "Err... Well, Frisk, see... You'll... be taken to Asgore, that's what."

"The guy mom said wanted to kill me?"

"Yeah. Him." Chara let out a sigh. "Papyrus seems like an okay guy, but I still wouldn't let my guard down around him. Something about him gives off an aura of toughness. I can't put my finger on why, but something tells me he isn't as weak as he seems."

"Do you think so?" Frisk asked. "He seems awfully kind to be dangerous. I feel like maybe Sans might just be playing another joke on me when he says Papyrus-"

"FRISK, STOP!" Confused, Frisk turned around to look at Chara, raising their eyebrow. "Don't. Move." They were about to respond when a voice caught their attention.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination?"

Suddenly, a new wave of fear flooded their body. They mouthed to Chara, 'What is it?' without moving themselves much.

"It's a dog. Doggo. He has reverse motion blindness." Frisk didn't respond, so Chara continued, "That means he can only see things that move. As long as you stay still, you're fine, so don't move!" They rolled their eyes as Frisk mouthed back, 'Easier said than done.'

"If something WAS moving... For example, a human... I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!" The dog climbed over the desk at the sentry station and began sniffing around, trying to find if there really had been anything moving - causing Frisk's SOUL to appear and engage the monster in a FIGHT.

Not sure what to do, Frisk looked to Chara. "He's a dog, Frisk. What do dogs like?" But as soon as the words had left their mouth... "Actually, don't try it yet. He's too focused trying to find you right now."

Frisk gulped before choosing to waste their turn and offer the monster MERCY, despite it not having a yellow name. Quietly, they whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you..."

"Don't move an inch!" Doggo stood up and backed away from Frisk as their SOUL entered the bullet box once again. Frisk panicked as a blue knife made its way towards their SOUL and began moving away from it.

"Frisk, no, stop! Just leave your SOUL still!" Just moments before the attack touched their SOUL, Frisk closed their eyes and waited. But the pain never came. When they opened them again, they glanced back to Chara. "Blue Attacks. They won't hurt your SOUL as long as it's not moving. Got it?" Frisk gave a slow, tiny nod, indicating their understanding.

Now that it was Frisk's turn again, they waited for Doggo to circle around in front of them before deciding to ACT, and reached out to pet the dog on the arm. He yelped in surprise, not being able to find where the sudden feeling had come from. "WHAT! I'VE BEEN PET!" While Doggo was looking around for the source of the petting, Frisk adjusted themselves into a more comfortable position, and watched as another blue knife made its way across the battle box. All the while, Doggo kept saying, with no clear pattern to the words, "Pet?," "Pat?" and "Pot?"

Frisk let out a giggle before offering MERCY once again. "I don't want to fight you." A short second later, and the FIGHT was over, their SOUL returning to their body.

"S-S-S-Something pet me... Something that isn't m-m-moving..." Doggo leapt back over the desk of his sentry station, exclaiming, "I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!"

"Hey, nice job, Frisk. I was worried for a second there at the beginning." Chara punched Frisk's shoulder ever so slightly, earning a smile from them. Together, the two walked deeper into the snow fields.


	5. Snowy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took longer than I was hoping it would!
> 
> It's also kind of long, so I apologize for that...

Frisk and Chara looked carefully at the drawing spraypainted on the ground, which had previously been buried under a pile of snow. Frisk had dusted the snow away moments ago, and the two were now trying to figure out what it meant. "What's with the red X?" Frisk asked, pointing at the drawing.

"No clue. Y'know, actually..." Chara looked up. "It kinda looks like this area. See, if you look... Those two bubbles there? They look kinda like the cliffs over to our right. And those black dots? They kinda look like the trees." They turned their head towards Frisk. "What do you think it means?" Frisk looked the map over a little more before pointing at the X again.

"I think it means we have to find whatever's under that X." Chara shrugged and followed Frisk to the far cliff, where they began digging through the snow. A moment later, and they had found something. "Hey, look!"

"Huh? Is that a switch...?" Chara asked, as Frisk eagerly reached out to push it downwards. "Did you hear something?" The two children looked back to where they had been moments before, and noticed that the spikes that had been blocking their way were gone! "Hey, nice job, kid! You're like a natural at puzzles!"

Frisk sheepishly rubbed the back of their neck. "I mean, mom pretty much laid out the solution to every puzzle in the Ruins for me, and Papyrus accidentally showed me the way through the electricity maze. I doubt I'd have been able to make it through there if he hadn't. And, well, the map kinda showed me where this was, I just had to dig it up..." They stood up. "But I guess we can keep moving now, huh?"

"Ah, don't sell yourself short, Frisk. I'm sure you'll find a puzzle that doesn't have the solution mapped out for you like the rest. You'll still make it look easy as pie." The two walked back to the cliffs near the map and proceeded to cross the bridge leading forward. But as they did... "Uh oh."

"What 'uh oh?' What's wrong?" Frisk asked, looking forward to spot two large, cloaked figures heading towards them. "Uh... Ch-Chara...?"

"What's that smell?"  
"(Where's that smell?)"  
"If you're a smell..."  
"(...identify yoursmellf!)" 

"What's going on...?" Frisk whispered, as the two cloaked figures began sniffing around in the snow.

"They're more dogs. I think these ones are named Dogamy and Dogaressa? They're still dogs though, you should be able to deal with them like you did with Doggo and Lesser Dog. But Frisk, there's something you need to know-"

"Hmm... Here's that weird smell.... It makes me want to eliminate."  
"(...Eliminate YOU!)" Frisk yelped as the FIGHT began and the dogs brandished a pair of axes against them.

"Chara, what do I do?!" Frisk asked, in a panic.

"First of all, stay calm! You'll never get past them if you panic! Look, they fight as a team, so they're both going to attack you at once. But remember, they're still dogs, okay? All you have to do is get close enough to pet them." Frisk nodded and shakily approached the dogs, prepared to pet them. But as they got closer, they shifted their axes, and Frisk backed up once again. "Oh. Well, that's going to be a problem, huh?"

"Don't touch my hot dog!"  
"(He means me...)" The dogs prepared an axe-shaped spell, which began assaulting Frisk's SOUL. Frightened, they tried their best to avoid it, but wound up getting hurt. Frisk looked back to Chara, fear filling their eyes.

"Okay, don't panic. I'll help you through this... Somehow... Just gimme a second!" Frisk gulped as Chara squinted their eyes shut and began knocking on the side of their head. "Think, dang it, think... Hmm... Oh!" Their eyes snapped open. "You remember that sign we saw earlier, right? Right after you bought that Nice Cream? It said that the smell of a human is meant to be eliminated. Maybe if you can find some way to smell less like a human, you can get closer to them."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Frisk asked. "I can't run, they'll just chase me! And I don't have anything that'll change my scent! Chara, I'm scared, please help!"

"Okay, okay, Frisk. Don't be afraid, you're fine. You're okay. Uh..." They began twirling their finger around. "Try rolling around in the dirt and snow. That probably doesn't smell very human, right?"

"What?!"

"Do you have a better idea, Frisk?" Chara asked, folding their arms. Frisk gulped, looked back at the dogs, and sighed before laying down on the ground and rolling around in the snow and dirt. When they stood back up, their shirt was covered in mud and snow, as was most of their body.

"Number 2 Nuzzle Champs '98!!"  
"(Of course we were second.)" Frisk gulped again as they prepared another spell, but relaxed as, instead of the axes, two small dogs appeared in the battle box. The one on the left launched a spinning circle of hearts towards the one on the right, and Frisk, noting that some of the hearts were blue, positioned their SOUL so that the blue ones would pass harmlessly by each time. The spell stopped a moment later.

"Get them to smell you again. They might let you get closer if they don't think you're a human." Chara said, urging Frisk forward. Frisk slowly approached the dogs, stopping just in front of them, and waiting. After a moment, they both began sniffing them, and another short moment later, they looked up, startled. Frisk, fearing what might happen if they remained too close, backed up to their original position.

"What! Smells like a..."  
"(Are you actually a little puppy!?)" Confused, they repeated the same magical attack as they used on their last turn, but the hearts spun a little bit faster. Frisk, noting that the dogs seemed to be a bit less aggressive, approached once again, reached out, and pet Dogamy gently, before backing up slightly.  
"Wow!! Pet by another pup!!"  
"(Well. Don't leave me out!)" Frisk was about to approach and pet Dogaressa, as well, but as their SOUL returned to the battle box, they realized their turn was already over. Their heart dropped a little as they saw the dogs prepare their axe spell again. 

"Frisk, stay calm. Move your SOUL to the bottom of the box, and move under the axes!" Frisk did as instructed, and managed to avoid getting hurt. They breathed a sigh of relief before approaching once again and petting Dogaressa.

"(A dog that pets dogs... Amazing!)" The dogs used their axe spell once again, and Frisk repeated the same actions as last time, managing to avoid getting hurt once again. Now that it was their turn again, they prepared to approach the dogs again, before noticing their names were yellow. Excited, they decided to offer MERCY instead of ACTing.

"You both seem very nice! I don't want to fight you guys, okay? Can we just put this behind us?" They smiled as the dogs nodded in response, their SOUL returning to their body once again.

"Dogs can pet other dogs???"  
"(A whole new world has opened up for us...)"  
"Thanks, weird puppy!" Frisk smiled and waved as the dogs returned the way they came. Their attention turned to Chara, who nodded approvingly. 

"You okay, Frisk?"

"I'm fine. A little dinged up, but other than that, I'm okay. I'll live. Thank you, Chara. I never could've survived that one without your help." They shook their arms around a little bit. "Can't say my favorite sweater's okay, though. Look at this..." They let out a sigh.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I couldn't think of anything better. You can get it cleaned once you get back to the surface." Frisk brushed the snow and mud off their legs and out of their hair before nodding and turning to move forward. As they entered the next area, the first thing that caught their eye was the two large X's on the ground. Frisk immediately walked over to one of them and began inspecting it, searching for its meaning. Chara, on the other hand, happened to notice the sign nearby and went over to read it, while Frisk continued investigating. "It says 'Turn every X into an O, then press the switch.' Well, that doesn't seem so hard, now, does it?" Chara looked up to Frisk.

"But how do I turn it into an O?" Frisk asked. They walked over by Chara to see if the sign held any instructions, but all it said was what Chara had read. "Umm... Shouldn't there be some kind of instructions for this puzzle? How am I supposed to get by if I don't know what to do?"

Chara looked at the puzzle, and then folded their arms. "Have you tried anything yet?" Frisk shook their head. "Hmm. Well, stepping on that switch there will solve the puzzle once we figure out how to change the X into an O... Hey, c'mere. I want you to try stepping on it."

"Alright." Frisk did as instructed, and as their foot came to rest on top of the ground where the X was, it immediately changed shape into a red O. "Hey, it worked! Well, that was simple enough. Why didn't I try that?" Frisk giggled before stepping back off the O, crossing to the other side, and doing the same, before going to step on the switch on the ground. "Well, that's another puzzle that someone else gave me the solution to."

Chara sheepishly rubbed at the back of their neck. "Yeah. Sorry. Tell you what; I'll let you solve the next one. I won't help unless you ask, okay?" Frisk smiled and nodded before continuing forward.

As they approached the area where spikes had formerly been blocking their path, Papyrus - who had been standing on the other side, turned around, startled to see Frisk. "What!? How did you avoid my trap?! And... more importantly..." Papyrus' expression suddenly shifted to an excited smile. He folded his hands together before continuing. "Is there any left for me???"

Frisk smiled awkwardly before asking, "Do you mean the plate of spaghetti back there?" Papyrus gave a nod before Frisk continued, "Oh, well, um... See, I wasn't particularly hungry. I, um, just had lunch before I came out here. So, it's, um, still there. All of it."

"Really!?" The skeleton's arms fell to his side, and his expression shifted once again. For a moment, Frisk thought they had hurt Papyrus' feelings, but then he continued, "Wowie... You resisted the flavor of my home cooked pasta... just so you could share it with me???"

"What?" Chara fought back a chuckle. "Frisk, why don't you just tell him it's frozen and inedible? At least that wouldn't have been a lie and he wouldn't have gotten the wrong idea."

Before Frisk could respond to Chara, Papyrus continued, "Fret not, human! I, Master Chef Papyrus... will make you all the pasta you could ever want!" A huge smile - huger than normal, at any rate - worked its way onto Papyrus' face as he ran off, laughing with glee.

Frisk watched him run for a moment before turning to Chara. "It wasn't a whole lie. I wasn't really that hungry. Besides, he seems so nice. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

Chara shrugged. "I've got to admit I'm having a harder and harder time believing that Papyrus is capable of hurting you. He's still got that aura of toughness... But he could probably barely scratch you in a fight. Whatever. Let's keep moving, huh?" The two continued forward to find Papyrus waiting for them, along with a number of large piles of snow. Frisk offered Papyrus a smile, and continued on towards the puzzle before them.

"Human!" Frisk turned around to see Papyrus approaching them, his hand outstretched to let them know he wanted them to wait. "Hmmm... How do I say this... You were taking a long time to arrive, so... I decided to improve this puzzle by arranging the snow to look more like my face."

"I don't see it," Chara said, tilting their head to look at the puzzle from another angle. Still nothing. Frisk gently elbowed their arm, causing them to return their attention to Papyrus.

"Unfortunately, the snow froze to the ground. Now the solution is different! And, as usual, my lazy brother is nowhere around. I suppose what I am saying is..." Papyrus struck a pose, as if to assure Frisk that there was nothing to be worried about. "Worry not, human! I, The Great Papyrus, will solve this conundrum! Then we can both proceed! In the meantime, feel free to try the puzzle yourself! I'll try not to give away the answer!!!"

"Looks like it's the same deal as the other puzzle, Frisk. But this one looks more complex. Think you can handle it?" Chara turned their attention to Frisk, who nodded.

"Remember, don't give me the answer unless I ask, okay?" Chara nodded as well, and stepped back to lean against the nearby tree. Meanwhile, Frisk examined the puzzle from every angle. At a glance, the puzzle looked simple, but after stepping across one of the X's, Frisk realized that, from there, they couldn't complete the puzzle without stepping on one of O's that they had made, and so returned to the switch to reset the puzzle. They continued their examination for a while before deciding to start from the top. It seemed like a fine idea, but after Frisk had turned both of the X's that were separated from the rest of them into O's, they realized that, like before, at least one triangle would be present in the puzzle before they could get to the switch.

"You sure you don't want any help?" Frisk nodded again, to which Chara shrugged and continued watching. A moment later, Frisk approached the puzzle from the back side, and, after turning every connected X into an O without turning any into triangles, gasped happily. They then proceeded to turn the other two into O's as well, and press the switch. Chara smiled lightly and returned to Frisk's side. "There, see? I told you. You got it without any help!"

"Wow!!! You solved it!! And you did it all without my help... Incredible! I'm impressed! You must care about puzzles like I do!" Frisk and Chara returned their attention to Papyrus, who seemed to be beaming at Frisk. Frisk couldn't help but smile back.

"Puzzles are fun! I guess you could say I care about them! Do you have more?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll love the next puzzle, then! It might even be too easy for you!" Papyrus let out a light laugh, before continuing ahead. Frisk smiled and began following him, Chara right behind them. As they approached the road that had formerly been blocked by spikes, Frisk noticed Sans was standing on the road all of a sudden.

"Oh, hi, Sans!"

Sans turned to Frisk to give them a pat on the shoulder. "good job on solving it so quickly. you didn't even need my help." His grin widened, and he continued, "which is great, because i love doing absolutely nothing."

Frisk and Chara both let out a chuckle before Frisk spoke up. "I don't think you'd have had to help even if I did need it. Papyrus offered his help, and even if I couldn't solve it with his hints, Chara would've helped me." Frisk failed to notice Sans' confused expression. "Hey, Sans? Can I ask you something?"

"sure, kid. fire away."

"You weren't here a second ago... How'd you get here so fast...?"

Sans expression, while still a large grin, seemed to begin carrying an air of seriousness. "sorry, kid. 'fraid I can't tell you that one. let's just say i move pretty fast for someone who doesn't like to move." Frisk shrugged, and they continued forward.

In the next area, Frisk found Papyrus waiting across the way beside - Sans? Confused, they turned around, only to see Sans behind them as well. "Wha-?"

"Just ignore it, Frisk. Sans isn't hurting anyone by moving at the speed of light." Chara crossed their arms. "Although I have to admit that does kind of irk me. Anyway, let's find out what this puzzle is, why don't we?" The two stepped up to the bridge, and Papyrus turned to them, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Hey! It's the human!" Frisk waved happily to Papyrus, and the skeleton waved back. He then continued, "You're gonna love this puzzle! It was made by the great Dr. Alphys! You see these tiles? Once I throw this switch... They will begin to change color! Each color has a different function! Red tiles are impassable! You cannot walk on them! Yellow tiles are electric! They will electrocute you! Green tiles are alarm tiles! If you step on them, you will have to fight a monster! Orange tiles are orange-scented. They will make you smell delicious!"

"Chara, are you getting all this?" Frisk whispered to their companion. They glanced up to see Chara stifling a laugh.

"Sorry, sorry, yes, I've got it. It's just funny. What possible reason could there be for a tile to make you smell like oranges?" Chara chuckled lightly before the two returned their attention to Papyrus.

"If you smell like oranges! The piranhas will bite you! Also, if a blue tile is next to a yellow tile, the water will also zap you!"

"Asked, and answered."

"Purple tiles are slippery! You will slide to the next tile! However, the slippery soap... smells like lemons!! Which piranhas do not like! Purple and blue are okay! Finally, pink tiles. They don't do anything. Step on them all you like. How was that!? Understand???" Frisk glanced to Chara, who gave them a thumbs up to assure them they could remember what each tile meant in case Frisk forgot. Frisk nodded. "Great!! Then there's one last thing... This puzzle... Is entirely random!"

"What?!"

"When I pull this switch, it will make a puzzle that has never been seen before! Not even I will know the solution! Nyeh heh heh! Get ready....!" Papyrus pulled the switch, causing the various tiles between the monsters and humans to begin alternating colors. They changed slowly at first, but over the course of a few seconds, they began picking up speed. Finally, they came to a stop - on a bridge of pink tiles flanked on both sides by red tiles. Frisk could just walk across. It wasn't even much of a puzzle! Beside them, Chara burst into laughter, while Papyrus sighed and walked - or spun, perhaps? - himself off down the road.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Sans simply shrugged in response.

-

"What exactly IS a snow poff anyway, Chara?" Frisk asked, as the two approached a pile of snow that sat between them and the path forward.

"It's basically just a pile of snow. That's about all there is to it. You can probably just climb over that one, can't you?" Chara tilted their head at the pile of snow. Frisk shrugged and continued approaching, but as they did, a shuffling sound began emanating from the snow pile. "Wait, Frisk, stop."

"Hmm?" Frisk's attention turned back to Chara, who pointed at the snow pile. Frisk turned back around to see the head of a dog emerge from the snow. "Oh, it's a puppy!" The dog let out a high-pitched bark, and Frisk was about to step forward and pet it, but before they could so much as extend their arm, a massive suit of armor emerged from the snow. "Ah!" Frisk stumbled back and shuffled backwards along the ground to get away, but they found themselves in a FIGHT with the dog anyway. As Frisk stood themselves back up, they turned to Chara. "Same as the others?"

"Same as the others. You're getting the hang of this!" Chara folded their arms, but gave Frisk a serious look. "But don't approach Greater Dog yourself. Call it over to you. He gets excited easily and it doesn't usually work out if you try to approach it."

Frisk nodded and turned to the dog. They smiled and began waving to it. "Hey! Doggy! C'mere!" They could see a shift in the dog's expression, even from the distance they were at. Before Frisk could say anything else, Greater Dog was rushing across the field Frisk had put between them earlier, and tackling Frisk to the ground. "Oof!" The dog was lucky he hadn't landed on top of Frisk. "Good boy! Down boy, down!" Frisk managed to stand back up in time to see the attack directed against their SOUL - a small, sleeping dog. "Uh...?"

"Keep your SOUL still and you'll be fine," Chara advised. After a short moment, it was Frisk's turn again. "There, see? I don't know why Greater Dog knows a spell like that, but it certainly makes avoiding it easy." Frisk used their turn to pet Greater Dog's armor. In response to Frisk's motions, the dog lowered its head so Frisk could reach it, and Frisk began petting that. As Frisk continued to pet it, it curled up on their lap and fell asleep.

"Okay, this dog's armor is heavy... But it's so adorable!" Frisk continued petting the dog, until it woke up and stood back up, looking at them with playful eyes. Frisk stood up, and watched as a spear appeared in the Battle Box. It began moving at their SOUL, so they moved towards the edge, but a moment later, the spear turned blue. Remembering what Blue Attacks do, they stopped moving their SOUL, and let the spear pass harmlessly by. Frisk looked through their options, only to find that, after petting the dog, its name still wasn't yellow. "Wait, now what am I supposed to do?" They turned to Chara.

Chara flinched. "Err... Well, it's already here, so beckoning it again won't do anything... Try petting it again?" Frisk nodded and began to reach out towards Greater Dog, only for their hand to meet some kind of invisible force. "You stopped. Why did you stop?"

"It wasn't my choice." Frisk moved their hand again, allowing Chara to note that it kept stopping too abruptly for Frisk to have done it on purpose.

"What, there's some kind of power field stopping you from petting the dog?" Frisk nodded. "Well that's just great. I wonder if you could play fetch with-"

"Ouch!" Frisk clutched their chest in pain, glancing at Greater Dog to see him still looking at them with those playful eyes. "I forgot it was Greater Dog's turn..." They turned themselves to face Greater Dog once again and began looking through their options. "You said play fetch with him?"

"Yeah. Not sure how you're gonna-" Chara stopped as Frisk began scooping some snow into a ball. "...Frisk. Are you really going to...?"

"Hey, fetch!" They threw the snowball as far as they could, Greater Dog watching it sail over his head, and running after it. When it splatted on the ground, the dog scooped up as much snow as he could carry, and brought it back to Frisk. "Good boy!" Frisk kept doing this for a while until the Greater Dog came back panting and rested his head on Frisk's shoulder. "Aww, are you tired? Alright, we can rest." Greater Dog used the same sleeping dog spell that he had used on his first turn, and once it was Frisk's turn again, they began petting him. In response to the affection Frisk was showing him, Greater Dog absentmindedly pushed Frisk onto the ground and laid upon their lap. "Hehehe! I think he likes me, Chara!"

A small smile twitched its way onto Chara's face. "It certainly looks like it. Dogs really are great, aren't they?" Chara stepped over, and placed a gentle hand on Greater Dog's head. It didn't seem to respond. "Oh, careful, Frisk, it's Greater Dog's turn again." Frisk nodded, and turned their attention to the battle box, where they managed to avoid another attack from Greater Dog's spear spell. They had a feeling their SOUL was moving slower than usual. "I think he still wants some more attention. I'd say pet capacity is at about.... 40 percent."

"Well, whatever it takes to let the dog know I care!" Frisk smiled and continued petting Greater Dog. When they finally finished, he stood up and flopped onto his back, his legs hanging in the air. He used yet another spear attack, and though it nicked Frisk's SOUL a bit, ultimately, they managed to avoid it. Frisk took the opportunity to check Greater Dog's name, before moving their SOUL to the MERCY panel. "This has been fun, Greater Dog, but I really need to get going, okay? I'm not going to fight you, so let's call it a day." The FIGHT having concluded, Frisk stood up and brushed the snow off of themselves before facing Greater Dog once again just in time to receive an affectionate lick on the nose. "Haha, hey!" They reached out and pet Greater Dog once more, just before he leapt back into his suit of armor. Looking down, Frisk noticed there were 40 gold coins in the snow, and stooped down to pick them up.

"Nice work! Snowdin should be just up ahead, alright?" Frisk nodded and continued walking. "It's just across that bridge there. You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"You're asking a kid who climbed a mountain that question?" Frisk asked, playfully.

Chara let out a chuckle. "Touché." The two managed to cross the bridge fairly quickly, but as they neared the other end...

"Human! This is your final and most dangerous challenge!" Papyrus called out to Frisk. Somehow, the smile on his face seemed much more playful than when they had last crossed paths at the colored tile puzzle. "Behold! The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror!" Papyrus made a grand gesture, and a number of obstacles extended from... somewhere. Frisk could make out a flail, a flamethrower, two large blades, a cannon, and a small, white dog attached to a rope. Needless to say, the trap made them extremely uncomfortable.

"How am I supposed to get past this?!" They held out their arms in exasperation.

"When I say the word, it will fully activate!!! Cannons will fire! Spikes will swing! Blades will slice! Each part will swing violently up and down! Only the tiniest chance of victory will remain!!!" His full attention turned to Frisk. "Are you ready!? Because! I! Am! About! To do it!" Frisk flinched, preparing for the worst, but Chara drew their attention a moment later with a cough.

"Nothing's happening, Frisk." Frisk looked up in confusion. "Maybe it's broken?"

"well? what's the holdup?" Sans asked, tilting his head in confusion. Frisk swore they saw him wink at them from the corner of his eye.

"Holdup!? What holdup!? I'm... I'm about to activate it now!" Again, Papyrus didn't seem to do much of anything. Frisk didn't flinch this time.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated."

"Well!!! This challenge!!! It seems... Maybe... TOO easy to defeat the human with." Papyrus narrowed his eyes as he placed a hand to his chin in thought, mulling it over. A moment later, his eyes snapped back open. "Yeah! We can't use this one!!! I am a skeleton with standards!!! My puzzles are very fair! And my traps are expertly cooked!" He extended his arms forward, gesturing to the gauntlet he had prepared for Frisk. "But this method is too direct! No class at all! Away it goes!" Frisk breathed a sigh of relief as the trap retracted itself to wherever it had been before.

"Well that's no fun!" Chara crossed their arms.

"Did you want to see my head get chopped off or something, Chara?" Frisk asked, a look of disdain on their face.

"Well... No..." Frisk rolled their eyes and turned back to Papyrus, who had turned around. A moment later, and he turned back to face them, only to be met with their gaze.

"What are you looking at!? This was another decisive victory for Papyrus!!" The skeleton laughed in his typical fashion, though after a moment, he paused, only to continue with a nervous laugh. Then, he ran off into Snowdin. Frisk and Chara glanced at one another before shrugging and continuing on.

"hey, kid." Sans waved Frisk over, and the child obliged without much of a second thought. "i don't know what my brother's going to do now. if i were you, i would make sure i understand blue attacks." Frisk gave a slight nod and continued on their way, before turning back to Sans.

"Hey, Sans?" The skeleton looked up. "How come you're helping me so much?"

Sans just shrugged. "can't i just want to help someone, kid? you seem like you could use a hand. i got papyrus on your good side, didn't i? seems like you two get along pretty well. not that he'd be much of a threat to you if you didn't. but hey, that's papyrus for ya. anyway, you've got a journey to continue, right? and i've got a job to get back to not doing." Sans let out a chuckle.

"Well... fair enough, I guess." Frisk continued on their way.

"Welcome to Snowdin Town, Frisk. It's a nice little village. You've got all you could ask for as a tourist; a shop, a restaurant, a library, and an inn, all right here. And the citizens are all very kind. The only problem it really has is the temperature."

"Speaking of which, you think we could go to that inn? All that walking and fighting has kind of tired me out. I could use a nap." Chara gave a gentle nod, and the two walked to the nearby building. As they passed in front of it, Frisk felt a rush of DETERMINATION fill them.

-

"Enjoy your stay!" Frisk heard the innkeeper call up the stairs as they climbed up to the second floor. They found their room easily enough, and quietly unlocked the door.

"Nice place," Chara commented as they stepped inside.

"Hey, Chara...?" Chara turned their attention to Frisk. "You're not going to take off while I'm sleeping, are you...?"

"Why are you worried about that? Is it because of back in the Ruins?" Frisk gave a slight nod. "Don't worry, Frisk, I'll be right here when you wake up. In the Ruins, I was just sitting out on the balcony thinking about things. That's all. I'm not going to abandon you. A promise is a promise, after all." Frisk smiled and turned out the light, then climbed into the bed with a quiet yawn.


	6. Bonetrousle

Snowdin Library was pretty small, all things considered. It wasn't even so much a library as it was a room with a handful of bookshelves in it. Still, Frisk had decided it was probably a nice place to figure out some more information about the situation they had landed themselves in. Frisk sat quietly against the wall, holding an orange book in their hands. Beside them sat a blue book atop a red book, and a light green book atop a dark green one. Their eyes scanned the pages diligently, while Chara stood nearby, arms folded. "So what exactly are you looking for?" Chara asked.

"Information. I don't know anything about this place... I want to know if I can learn anything. Anything at all." Frisk flipped a page and continued reading. "Huh..."

"Well, that's admirable. I'm guessing you're hoping that learning more about the Underground will help you on your adventure, even if only a little bit?"

"Kinda. I'd also kind of like to know why... ....Huh....?" Frisk's eyes stopped on the end of the line. "If a being with a powerful SOUL, struck with the desire to kill.... What? It cuts off there..." They turned the page, but an entirely new and unrelated chapter started. "I don't understand. What happens?"

"Bad things." Frisk looked up to Chara, who had turned away. "You read the rest of the passage. If a monster doesn't want to fight, their defenses weaken, and if the attacker has cruel intentions, they're going to do a lot of damage. If the attacker has a powerful SOUL and the desire to kill... The monster doesn't stand a chance. They're dead. One hit. That's it, game over. Turned to dust. Nobody will ever see them again." Chara's head snapped up. "You don't need to know this. Put the book down, Frisk."

"But-"

"I SAID PUT THE BOOK DOWN!" Frisk flinched back, hiding their face in their arms. A brief second later, Chara seemed surprised at what they'd done, and reached a hand out towards Frisk. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Shakily, Frisk pulled their arms back down, away from their face. "I'm just... sensitive about this subject. Monsters dying is an uncomfortable topic for me, especially with someone here who could potentially decimate the entire race."

"But... Why would I do something like that...?" Frisk reached their hand out, as well. "None of these Monsters are even that frightening. In fact, they're all pretty nice. I don't think I could ever bring myself to hurt any of them."

"Really...? Not one...?" Chara seemed surprised. "But... But you're a human, and... ...and..." Chara seemed in thought. Suddenly, they pointed at the stacked green books. "Read the dark green one next." Frisk seemed perplexed, but closed the orange book and lifted the one Chara had requested.

-

Snow crunched under Frisk's feet as they made their way to the north end of town with Chara at their side. "So monsters think humans don't need kindness and love to exist?" They turned their head to the side to see Chara nod.

"Basically. I don't know exactly what happened to make them believe that, but if I'm honest, I kind of agree with them. But you, Frisk, there's something different about you. I can't put my finger on it, but so far you've been so kind and friendly to the monsters. If you can keep that up, maybe you can make it to the capital after all." Chara crossed their arms. "But you'll have to remember that if the monsters recognize you as a human, they're not going to hesitate to attack you. I want you to prove them wrong. Show them humans can be good people."

Frisk smiled. "I can do that! I'll find some way to show them all I care. That I won't hurt them. Do you think they'll leave me alone if I do that?"

"Well, it's worked so far. I can't guarantee that every monster will stop if you treat them nicely, but what I can tell you is any monster will back off if they're reluctant to fight you and you ask them to stop, and tell them you won't hurt them." Frisk nodded, and the two moved to sit against one of the trees. A moment of silence followed before Chara turned towards their companion. "Are you scared, Frisk?"

Frisk looked down at their knees. "Of course I'm scared. Not of the monsters, though. I'm afraid I won't have the strength to continue forward. I'm afraid something's going to stop me and I might never get home. But there's this feeling in my chest that tells me I've got to keep moving, no matter what. It's been there since I fell into the Ruins. I don't know what it is, but every now and then it feels like it's burning stronger than before, or even after. Like in my heart, I know I'll get back to the surface somehow."

"We call that determination."

-

The two children looked around uneasily as they stepped beyond the limits of Snowdin. Ahead of them was a bank of fog so thick, they couldn't see the other side. "Through there...?" Frisk asked.

"Yes. I know the fog might seem intimidating, but I'm sure everything will be fine. This area is foggy a lot because it marks a point in the Underground where the air begins to feel warmer. Somewhere on the other side is our next stop, Waterfall. C'mon, let's go." Chara began moving forward, Frisk following after them. The deeper into the fog they went, the more uneasy Frisk began to feel. Beneath their feet, they could still feel the crunch of snow, and they could still hear the churning of the nearby river, but other than that, they seemed to be loosing their senses. Soon, however, the fog began to get lighter, and while they couldn't quite make out exact features, they did recognize a familiar figure standing a short distance away.

"Human. Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings." Yep, that was definitely Papyrus. "Feelings like... The joy of finding another pasta lover. The admiration for another's puzzle-solving skills. The desire to have a cool, smart person think you are cool. These feelings..."

"What are you getting at...?" Frisk asked. "Are you trying to tell me that-" But Papyrus cut them off.

"They must be what you are feeling right now!!!"

"WHAT?!" Frisk let out a slight chuckle. "Uh, n-no no, I-" But again, Papyrus cut them off.

"I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way. After all, I am very great. I don't ever wonder what having lots of friends is like." Frisk raised an eyebrow at that. To them, that seemed like an awfully specific insistence to make. Regardless, they said nothing, assuming Papyrus would just cut them off again. "I pity you... Lonely human... Worry not!!! You shall be lonely no longer! I, the Great Papyrus, will be your..."

As Papyrus' voice trailed off, Frisk found themselves eagerly awaiting Papyrus concluding his sentence. "Yes? You'll be my what?" But no answer came. "...Papyrus...?"

"...Frisk... get ready..." Chara lightly tugged on Frisk's arm to get their attention. "I've got a feeling you're about to see what Papyrus can do."

"No... No, this is all wrong! I can't be your friend!!!"

"But why not?"

"You are a human! I must capture you!!! Then, I can fulfill my lifelong dream!!! Powerful! Popular! Prestigious!!! That's Papyrus!!! The newest member... of the Royal Guard!" Papyrus made a pose, and an instant later, Frisk's SOUL had once again left their body to begin the FIGHT.

"Ah, geez... Alright, Frisk, Papyrus is blocking our way. But don't, under any circumstances, kill him, okay?!" Frisk looked at them oddly.

"Why would I kill him? He's been so nice to me. I'll just let him know that." Chara nodded, and Frisk turned their attention forward. They checked their ACT menu, but upon seeing only two options, neither of which sounded like they would get them out of this situation, opted to try what had worked on Toriel - an offer of MERCY. "Papyrus, listen, I'm not going to fight you, okay? You've been so nice."

"So you won't fight..." Papyrus cast his gaze downward a bit before his head snapped back upwards, a huge grin on his face. "Then, let's see how you handle my fabled 'Blue Attack!'" Frisk nodded and focused intently on the bullet box. Sans had given them advice about this before, akin to the advice Chara had given them - simply STOP and things would be fine. Before long, a slew of blue bones began making their way towards Frisk. Every single one of them was blue. In fact, the attack seemed rather underwhelming, and they began to wonder why Sans had warned them about it.

"This is... Kinda sad, actually..." Frisk said, turning to Chara. "Do you think he knows?" Chara just let out a light chuckle.

"Hey, at least it makes things easier for you, right?" They turned their attention towards the battle box just in time to see something that actually alarmed them a bit. "Uh, Fri-"

"OW!" Frisk clutched their chest and turned towards Papyrus to see their SOUL resting at the bottom of the box. This was surprising enough on its own, but what truly shocked them was that their SOUL was no longer red. "What the-?"

"You're blue now. That's my attack. Nyeh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh!!!"

"I knew it. I knew there was more to Papyrus than there seemed! Okay, Frisk, get ready, will you? This... this doesn't look like it's going to be easy."

Frisk nodded and checked their ACT menu again. The options remained the same, so Frisk instead opted to waste their turn by offering to Spare Papyrus. "Hey, Papyrus, can't we talk about this? I really don't want to fight you, y'know."

"YES, YES, SO YOU'VE ALREADY SAID. BUT I'M AFRAID I HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER! THAT SAID... HAVE YOU TRIED MAKING YOUR SOUL JUMP BY TRYING TO MOVE IT UPWARDS? THAT MAY HELP YOU AVOID MY ATTACKS!" Papyrus chuckled slightly to himself before taking his turn and sending some bones in the direction of Frisk's SOUL, which rested once more at the bottom of the battle box. Taking Papyrus' advice, Frisk tried to move their SOUL upwards. It leapt up, but after a moment, came back down. Their SOUL nearly landed on one of the bone attacks, but they moved away from it just in time to jump again and avoid the attack. Soon, it was their turn again.

"Hmm..." Frisk turned to Chara, who had their hand resting contemplatively on their chin. "Well, that's awfully kind of him to teach you about what's going on with your SOUL. Looks like it's affected by a kind of gravity now, and I guess you can make it jump over his attacks. Okay, that's good info, but if I know this kind of thing well, you'll have to be careful how much you will your SOUL to jump. You might want to try jumping more or less depending on the attack, alright?"

Frisk gave a nod, before turning towards Papyrus again. "Chara, is there a different way I can use my turn? None of these ACT options seem viable, and I have a feeling he's not going to accept my MERCY." They stepped aside as Chara came up beside them.

"Well..." They reached out towards the FIGHT command. "Technically speaking, you could waste your turn if you select FIGHT, but then don't actually do anything. But I'd prefer if you didn't do that. If... you need another option, though, I suppose I could tell you something about the Monsters we're fighting."

"I like that option! Tell me about Papyrus."

"Gee, you're really putting it on the table here, huh, Frisk. I'll level with you. I don't actually know anything about him besides that he likes to say 'Nyeh heh heh!' I guess I'd pin his stats down at..." They looked at Papyrus intensively. "8 ATK, and 2 DEF. I'm probably way off though. I was never particularly good at guessing those kinds of things."

Their turn used, Frisk took their spot back as Chara moved aside once more, and turned towards Papyrus. "Okay, I'm done."

"Yeah! Don't make me use my special attack!" Once again, Papyrus sent a few bone spells towards Frisk's SOUL. These ones came in sets of one blue bone, and one short, white one. Frisk was easily able to avoid the spells, and it was soon their turn again. They opted to Spare Papyrus again.

"Okay, your attacks are getting a bit more intense, but I'm still not going to fight you." They smiled to the skeleton.

Papyrus didn't seem to notice them, though. "I can almost taste my future popularity!!!" Frisk gulped as a series of bones with only a very small gap between them made their way towards their SOUL. They tried very hard to jump through the spaces, but each time, the bones nicked their SOUL. "Okay, I need more practice!" Their SOUL instantly moved to the ITEM option, and a list of only 3 items came up. They reached into their pocket and pulled out a small cinnamon bunny, carefully wrapped in a small cloth, and ate it. Instantly, their energy returned to them. "Wow... this is really good! Better than the monster candy I had back in the Ruins."

"You said you liked that."

"Yeah, but cinnamon is still better than licorice," Frisk insisted. They turned back towards Papyrus, who still was not paying any attention to them.

"Papyrus: Head of the Royal Guard!" It was at this point that Frisk realized Papyrus didn't seem to know any attacks that didn't involve bones. The particular attack that Papyrus was using this time involved a number of short bones making their way towards Frisk's SOUL, so they moved it as high as they could to get away from them. Each time it came back down, they barely had the time to react before they had to make it jump again, but they did manage to successfully avoid the attack.

They opted to Spare Papyrus again. "C'mon! Are you paying attention?"

"Papyrus: Unparalleled Spaghettore!"

Chara snickered quietly. "That's a no."

"What's a 'spaghettore,' anyway?" Frisk asked, as they did their best to avoid Papyrus' next attack.

"How the heck should I know? It sounds to me like he just made the word up. Knowing him, he probably did!"

Frisk shrugged before selecting to Spare Papyrus again. "C'mon, please, I don't want to hurt you."

"Undyne will be really proud of me!!" Frisk let out a loud groan of displeasure.

"He's so focused on his future he's not even paying attention to me," Frisk complained. "That's kind of a shame. I like him." They shook the thought off as they felt a pain in their chest from the spells Papyrus was throwing their way. Once they managed to focus on them, they were able to successfully avoid them.

"Why aren't you using either of the commands in your ACT menu?" Chara asked, raising an inquisitive finger. "Maybe one of them will capture his attention."

"Err..." Frisk moved to open the menu, only to step aside for Chara to see. "I don't feel like flirting with him or insulting him will resolve this situation. Besides, why would I insult him anyway? He's cool."

"Well, you've got to do something." Chara crossed their arms and waited for Frisk to make their decision.

"I am doing something." They chose to Spare Papyrus again.

"But it's not working!"

"The King will trim a hedge in the shape of my smile!!!" Once again, Papyrus threw sets of two bones towards Frisk's SOUL with only a small space between them. This time, however, Frisk approached more carefully and was able to squeeze their SOUL through the spaces just fine.

"Oh, really? The king sounds like a nice guy. Anything else?" Frisk asked, offering MERCY once again.

"My brother will... Well, he won't change much." Chara let out a laugh.

"Thank God for that!"

"You like Sans, don't you?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said no." Frisk gave a slight chuckle at that. They managed to successfully avoid some more blue and white bone pairs before it was their turn again. "Anything else?"

"I'll have lots of admirers!! But..." Frisk noticed a slight shift in Papyrus' expression. He still seemed happy, but somewhere underneath it, they felt a pang of loneliness. They couldn't dwell on it for long, though. Papyrus sent another wave of short bones towards Frisk's SOUL, but this time, Frisk wasn't able to avoid all of them.

Now that it was their turn again, Frisk returned their attention to what they had noticed before. They chose to Spare Papyrus again, taking the opportunity to ask, "But what? Is something wrong, Papyrus?" The skeleton looked down for a moment, unsure how to respond. Evidently, he had begun to pay attention to Frisk again.

"How will I know if people sincerely like me???" Now, Papyrus almost seemed resigned to be attacking Frisk. They managed to avoid his attack rather easily, and chose to Spare him again.

"Well, that's easy. If people sincerely like you, they'll be kind to you without asking anything in return. Listen, Papyrus, you're a great guy. I don't mean you any harm."

Papyrus began tapping at the side of his skull. It looked like the fight was beginning to make him anxious. "Someone like you is really rare..."

"What do you mean 'someone like me?'" Frisk asked, confused, as they manipulated their SOUL over all the bones being sent their way. These ones were arranged like arrows, and Frisk felt they were only just barely avoiding them.

Chara, meanwhile, let out a sigh. "I think he means someone as kind as you, Frisk. Remember what I said, Monsters don't typically get along with humans, so for them to find one as kind as you is surprising."

"What?" They held their arms out in front of them. "But I know plenty of humans who are kind like I am! Papyrus, you have to talk to them. Maybe they'll just let me go back home if you tell them about me!"

However, Papyrus just shook his head. "I don't think they'll let you go..." He sighed as he sent another wave of attacks at Frisk's SOUL.

Frisk managed to slip their SOUL through the diagonal spaces between the sets of three bones, and get it to jump over the sets that fluctuated up and down. They had a feeling Papyrus was using more complex attacks now that he seemed to be more focused. "But why wouldn't they?" Despite the futility of the option, Frisk chose to Spare Papyrus once again. "Papyrus?"

"After you're captured and sent away," he added. Frisk gave a solemn nod at that, and Papyrus sent another wave of bones organized into a pyramid. Frisk was unsuccessful in avoiding the second set, so they used their turn to eat their other Cinnamon Bunny.

"I've gotcha, Papyrus... But, umm, just to clarify, it sounds like you don't really want to do this to me... Am I right?" Frisk smiled as Papyrus began to nod, only to catch himself and shake his head violently and clear his thoughts.

"Urgh... Who cares! Give up!!" This time, Papyrus sent two sets of bones that shifted up and down, followed by a pair of bones that opened and closed a gap between them. Upon seeing the gap, Frisk panicked a little, but was just barely able to slip through. They turned to Chara for advice.

"Just keep pressing him, Frisk. He's got to be nearing the end of his rope! Trust me." Frisk nodded, unsure, but turned back to Papyrus and futilely offered MERCY again.

"I'll never give up!"

"Give up or face my... Special Attack!" Frisk at least knew Papyrus was paying full attention now. After avoiding his attack, Frisk - once again - Spared Papyrus.

"Your Special Attack, huh?"

Papyrus' expression returned to its full cheerfulness. "Yeah!!! Very soon I will use my Special Attack!" Frisk could only guess that Papyrus was very proud of his Special Attack. It made them equal parts nervous and curious. Papyrus' attack was the pyramids of bones once again, and Frisk managed to dodge it, but just barely. They felt they were beginning to get the hang of this.

"Well, I'm ready for it! Whenever you are, that is."

"Not too long and I will use that special attack!" Evidently, Papyrus was beginning to enjoy this battle. Truly enjoy it. As though it were more than just a means of capturing a human for the Royal Guard. But he also seemed to be trying to keep Frisk on their toes, so he sent another wave of blue bones followed by white bones. These ones, however, were more compact, and Frisk had some trouble timing the jumps. In the end, they survived, only getting hurt twice.

"I hope you're getting ready for that attack, Papyrus, 'cuz I'm starting to get tired over here..." Frisk said, trying to catch their breath. They were a bit surprised these battles got them as winded as they did.

"Careful, Frisk. You don't want to die now that this battle's come so far, do you?" Frisk turned to Chara, who looked concerned. They offered Chara a smile in response.

"I'll be fine."

Across the way, Papyrus made a showy pose, before declaring, "This is your last chance... before my Special Attack!" Frisk approached Papyrus' attack cautiously. In the end, there was little need to do so, as it was merely pairs of bones with gaps between them, where the gap was lower with each successive pair.

"Alright, Frisk, be ready. I've never seen a Special Attack before... It could be anything."

Frisk nodded before offering MERCY in vain once again. "I'm ready."

Papyrus nodded before shouting, "Behold...! My Special Attack!!!" Frisk prepared themselves for the incoming attack, but was shocked when nothing came. That had to be some kind of mistake, right?

"Is... Is that supposed to happen...?" Frisk asked. They turned to Chara. They were about to respond when the right side of the battle box extended to reveal a small, white dog chewing on a bone.

"What the heck! That's my special attack! Hey! You stupid dog! Do you hear me!? Stop munching on that bone!!!" Chara couldn't help but snicker at what was happening.

"Did... Did a dog just seriously grab his attack? Oh, WOW is that a lucky break for you, Frisk!" Frisk looked back at the battle box to see the dog inching its way out of it.

"Hey!!! What are you doing!!! Come back here with my Special Attack!!!" Papyrus looked up at Frisk, who wore an expectant look on their face. He cleared his throat. "Oh well. I'll just use a really cool regular attack."

Frisk nodded, giving Chara a glance. They nodded, too, urging Frisk to make their move. They chose Spare once again, and gave Papyrus a smile. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Papyrus sighed. "Here's an absolutely normal attack." He waved his arms, summoning as many bones as he could, and sent them in the direction of Frisk's SOUL. The attack didn't seem too complex. It consisted of sets of two bones - the first two sets being extremely short, and easy for Frisk to manipulate their SOUL over. Then they began coming from both sides at once, and then they came from high up and at the bottom of the box, fluctuating up and down. A second set of fluctuating bones near the bottom managed to nick Frisk's SOUL a bit. Then, Papyrus sent two sets of three bones that shifted up and down at them in quick succession.

"Oh, look! It's the dog again!" Chara said, pointing it out to Frisk. Frisk had to chuckle slightly as they leapt their SOUL over the dog. Then, a pile of bones spelling something out came at Frisk.

"What does that say?" They tried to read it as they had their SOUL leap over it. "Cool... Dude," they read, as they leapt over the following attack. And then a bone riding a skateboard of all things crashed into their SOUL. "THIS is a completely ordinary attack?!" Frisk asked, only to feel fear as they saw what was before their SOUL next - a sea of bones. And it only looked to be expanding. "What do I do?!"

Chara gulped. "Relax! Jump, Frisk."

"Are you crazy? There's no way I can make it over that!"

"Trust me! I'll... I'll see if I can help somehow!" With no time left to react, Frisk did as instructed. An instant later, Chara ran up behind them, placing their hands on Frisk's shoulders and focusing as much of their energy as they could on Frisk's SOUL. "Just... keep... willing it up!" Frisk did as instructed, watching as their SOUL moved higher and higher.

"What...?" And once it reached the top of the battle box, it expanded upwards to make room for it to keep going... and it was a good thing, too, because at the far end of the sea of bones was a single, HUGE bone that Frisk never would've been able to get past with the initial size of the battle box. As the SOUL passed over the bone, Chara released Frisk's shoulders, a hand on their heart and gasping for breath. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm fine. I've just never done anything like that before. I didn't even know I could. I just... had to try anything to help you. That attack would've killed you if I hadn't done anything..." Frisk winced as they felt a sharp pain in their chest. "What about YOU?"

"I'm... I'm alright... I've still got energy." They looked back to the battle box. The little yellow box showing their HP read 9.

"Well...!" Papyrus gasped for a breath. Evidently, the 'absolutely normal attack' had tired him out. "It's clear... you can't!" He gasped again. Frisk actually felt sort of bad about working him to this point. "Defeat me!!! Yeah!!! I can see you shaking in your boots!!!"

"He's joking, right?" Chara asked, as they stood up straight. "You are a little shaky... but I think that's from your own lack of energy." Frisk nodded.

In a hushed tone, they whispered, "Let's not tell him that. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"Therefore, I, the Great Papyrus, elect to grant you pity!! I will spare you, human!!! Now's your chance to accept my Mercy." Frisk smiled and shifted their SOUL to the MERCY button.

"Well then I accept, Papyrus. I never did want to hurt you." Their SOUL finally returned to their body, and the battle concluded. Oddly enough, as it did, the fog clouding the area began to lift. But as it did, Frisk noticed Papyrus was facing the opposite direction. "Hey, are you okay...?"

"Nyoo hoo hoo... I can't even stop someone as weak as you..." Frisk looked to Chara, who shrugged.

"Am I supposed to be offended...?"

"Probably. But he seems too good natured to really mean it as an insult." Chara stepped forward until they were standing beside Frisk.

"Undyne's going to be disappointed in me. I'll never join the Royal Guard... And... My friend quantity will remain stagnant," Papyrus said, sadly. Frisk felt a pang of empathy for the skeleton.

"Well, say something, Frisk. Don't just stand there."

"Uh... Hey, Papyrus, don't be so down. I know! Let's be friends!" Frisk smiled and reached a hand out towards Papyrus.

As they did so, he perked up and turned around. "Really!? You want to be friends, with me???" Papyrus' smile grew as Frisk nodded happily. "Well then... I guess... I guess I can make an allowance for you!" Papyrus looked at his hands and clenched them into fists happily. Without looking back up, he whispered, "Wow!!! I have friends!!! And who knew that all I needed to make them... was to give people awful puzzles and then fight them??" Chara burst into a fit of giggles at that. Frisk couldn't help but smile, too. Papyrus continued, "You taught me a lot, Human. I hereby grant you permission to pass through! And I'll give you directions to the surface."

Frisk's heart leapt. "Ooh, would you? That's great! Getting back to the surface is all I've wanted to do since I came down here, but it seems like you're the first Monster I've met that understands!" Papyrus' smile - if it was even possible - grew even larger at that. "Okay, where do I go?"

Papyrus turned towards the dark cavern beyond him, pointing into it. "Continue forward until you reach the end of the cavern. Then... When you reach the capital, cross the Barrier. That's the magical seal trapping us all underground."

"Oh, I think I read something about that in a history book... It did say you guys were trapped, huh? It sounds like it's a powerful seal if it's keeping you guys locked down here..."

Papyrus gave a nod. "Anything can enter through it, but nothing can exit... Except someone with a powerful SOUL. ...Like you!!!" Frisk smiled at that, glancing to Chara, who gave them a smile and placed one hand on their shoulder.

"It's true. Your SOUL is more powerful than I initially gave it credit for. You should be able to cross the barrier just fine."

"That's why the king wants to acquire a human. He wants to open the barrier with SOUL power. Then us Monsters can return to the surface!"

Frisk's expression fell. "Oh... So that's why the king wants me...? He wants my SOUL...?" They gulped as Papyrus gave a nod. "I should've known when I heard he intended to kill me..."

Papyrus placed one fist in the opposite hand. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you... To reach the exit, you will have to pass... through the king's castle." Papyrus could see fear overtake Frisk's face. He could understand why - they'd just heard of the king's intentions, after all. He continued, "The king of all monsters... He is... well..."

"What is he...?" Frisk asked, quietly.

"He's a big fuzzy pushover!!! Everybody loves that guy!!! I am certain that if you just say, 'Excuse me, Mr. Dreemurr... Can I please go home?' He'll guide you right to the Barrier himself!"

Frisk breathed out a sigh of relief. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. "Well, that's certainly reassuring. Thank you, Papyrus, for the advice." The smile returned to their face and Papyrus let out a light chuckle.

"Anyway!!! That's enough talking!!! I'll be at home being a cool friend! Feel free to come by and hang out!!!" Frisk was about to respond, when all of a sudden, Papyrus leapt into the air, kicking his legs about, and managed to somehow pass over them, and away into Snowdin, without touching the ground. They turned to Chara, who shrugged.

"So are you ready?" Frisk gave a smile and nodded, but instead of moving towards Waterfall as Chara had expected, they began heading back to Snowdin. "Hey, where are you going?!"


	7. Dating Start!

"No, seriously, where are you going, Frisk?" Chara ran to catch up with their companion.

"Papyrus wants to hang out. I don't want to disappoint him," Frisk said, a smile on their face. They continued walking, passing by the shed outside of Papyrus' house. "Besides, it seems like he could use a good friend."

"But don't you want to go home?"

"Of course I do. But that can wait for now." Frisk turned their attention forward and ran in Papyrus' direction, Chara following quickly after them. "Hi, Papyrus!" Papyrus waved eagerly in response.

"SO YOU CAME BACK TO SEE ME! YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS..." Frisk nodded at that. "I'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL... A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!!!" Papyrus turned in the opposite direction and began sprinting into Snowdin. Frisk turned to Chara, smiled, and ran after him.

"Wait up, Papyrus!" Papyrus didn't slow down, but just as Frisk caught up to him, he turned around. "Wait, where are we going now?" Frisk managed to turn around, as well, and followed after him. As they passed after Chara, they heard them groan.

"Now what?!" Chara placed one hand above their eyes and squinted. "It looks like he's going to-"

"MY HOUSE!!!" As Frisk caught up to him once again, Papyrus stepped up and unlocked the door.

"What was the point of that?! Why didn't he just let you in right when you came up to him before?!" Chara exclaimed.

"I don't know. But it's not as if he's inconvenienced us at all. C'mon, let's go on in." Frisk stepped up and opened the door. As the two children stepped into the house, Papyrus ran to one wall, standing in front of the stairs.

"WELCOME TO SCENIC MY HOUSE! ENJOY AND TAKE YOUR TIME!"

Frisk gave Papyrus a big smile, before looking around the house. It was rather small - there only seemed to be two doors in the entire building, both of which Frisk assumed lead to bedrooms. But it did seem rather cozy and inviting, not to mention much warmer than outside. Their eyes fell to rest on a rock sitting on a plate, covered in sprinkles, nearby. "What's this?"

"AH, THAT. THAT IS MY BROTHER'S PET ROCK." Papyrus gave a sigh. "HE ALWAYS FORGETS TO FEED IT. AS USUAL, I HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY."

Frisk looked at the rock, bewildered. "Does it even need to-?"

Chara cut them off, saying, "Let him have this, Frisk. Besides, I can't tell, but it might actually be a Monster rock, like that one we ran into in the Ruins." They gave a shrug before urging Frisk to move on. "If you're going to hang around for a while, don't stare at the rock the whole time."

Frisk nodded and began looking around the house some more. They noted that, aside from the two doorways on the second floor, there was a small kitchen in front of them. They stepped inside to see if there was more to the house, but there was little besides the stove, a refrigerator, and an extremely tall sink. They were about to go back into the living room to question Papyrus about it when they noticed that he was now standing in the doorway, evidently having followed them. "Err, what's with your sink, exactly?"

"IMPRESSED? I INCREASED THE HEIGHT OF MY SINK. NOW I CAN FIT MORE BONES UNDER IT! TAKE A LOOKSY!" Frisk turned back around and reached up, just barely being able to grasp the handle on the cabinet, and tugged it open. However, inside, there were no bones. Instead, there was the small white dog that they had seen while battling Papyrus.

"Hey, a puppy!" Frisk gave the dog a smile.

"WHAT!?!?" The dog's expression became one of alarm as it realized that Papyrus had noticed it. "CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!" As the dog ran past them, Frisk tried to grab it, but missed.

"Chara, help!" They called, as they stood up and ran after the dog.

"Sorry, Frisk, but I'm not going to be able to catch up to that annoying dog. Looks like it's gone already, anyways." The two walked slowly into the living room, Frisk giving Papyrus an apologetic look.

"CURSES!!!" It was then that, from the floor above, Frisk and Chara heard the sound of a door opening, followed by the sound of a trombone being played in a mocking manner. They had to stifle their laughter. "SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!!!"

"Isn't Sans the best, Frisk?" Chara asked, as their laughter began to subside.

"Well, I have to admit he's a pretty great guy. And he's got a nice sense of humor, too!" They took a moment to let their own laughter die down before looking around some more. Nearby Papyrus, they found a joke book sitting on the end table and flipped through it, but all they found inside was a quantum physics book. They opened that, as well, only to find another copy of the joke book, and another copy of the quantum physics book inside that, and at that point had decided to stop, figuring it could potentially go on forever. "I'm assuming this is Sans'?" Papyrus gave a nod. "...Why does he have this...?" All Papyrus could do in response was shrug.

-

After Frisk had finished looking around, Papyrus lead them upstairs to his bedroom. As they walked inside, Frisk glanced around, noting the belongings Papyrus appeared to have. Their eyes fell on the table beside his bed, and they let out an excited gasp. "Hey, you collect action figures, too?!" Papyrus gave a nod in response. "That's so cool!"

"A GREAT REFERENCE FOR THEORETICAL BATTLE SCENARIOS." Papyrus gave a light chuckle. "HOW DO I HAVE SO MANY? WELL, LET'S JUST SAY THEY'RE FROM A CHUBBY, SMILING MAN WHO LOVES TO SURPRISE PEOPLE."

Frisk gave a gasp. "You mean you got them from-?"

"YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! SANTA!!!!" Frisk's smile grew even larger.

"I didn't know you guys celebrated Christmas! That's so cool! You're so lucky you have so many of these, too. What do you think, Chara?" Frisk turned towards their companion.

Chara, however, was entranced by the collection. "...Many sexy robots..."

"CHARA!"

"Huh? What?" Their attention grabbed, they turned towards Frisk. "Did you say something?"

"Why would you say something like that about these?" Frisk picked one of Papyrus' action figures up. "Besides, aren't you just a kid?"

Chara scratched at the back of their head. "Yeah, no, you're right... I just... I've always wanted toys like this. That's all. So this is what you're going to do while you hang out with Papyrus then? Play with his action figures?"

Frisk fiddled with one of the figure's arms before placing it back on the table. "Well, that's going to depend on what he wants to do." They turned towards Papyrus, who was watching them with childlike wonder. "Do you mind if I take a seat on your bed?" Papyrus gave a shake of his head. As Frisk walked over and took their seat, Papyrus began speaking.

"IF I EVER GET TO THE SURFACE, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A DRIVE DOWN A LONG HIGHWAY. WIND IN MY HAIR... SUN ON MY SKIN..." Beside Frisk, Chara was stifling a bit of laughter. "OF COURSE, THAT'S JUST A DREAM. SO INSTEAD I JUST CRUISE WHILE I SNOOZE."

"Well, I think it's a wonderful dream, Papyrus! I hope it comes true someday." They could see Papyrus' expression lift slightly - if that were possible - as if nobody had ever said that to him before. "So, I noticed you have a computer. What's it for? Do you use it for work or for fun?"

"THE INTERNET!" Frisk smiled at that. "I'M QUITE POPULAR THERE! I'M ONLY A DOZEN AWAY... FROM A DOUBLE-DIGIT FOLLOWER COUNT!"

"Wait, doesn't that mean he'd have... negative two followers...? How's that possible...?" Chara asked, dumbfounded.

In response, Frisk whispered back, "Don't be so -negative- about it, Chara." The two shared a light chuckle. "Maybe he's got over 100. 111 is a dozen away from double digits, too."

Chara was about to respond in defense of their stance, but then considered Frisk's rationalle. "Fair point."

"OF COURSE, FAME HAS A STEEP PRICE. A JEALOUS TROLL HAS BESIEGED MY ONLINE PERSONA. ALWAYS SENDING ME BAD PUNS IN A GOOFY FONT..."

"That's gotta be Sans, right?" Frisk raised an inquisitive finger. "That seems like his kind of thing."

"WHAT? DON'T BE RIDICULOUS. SANS MAY MAKE BAD PUNS AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES, BUT HE WOULD NEVER STOOP SO LOW AS TO SEND THEM TO ME ON THE INTERNET!!! A GOOD GUESS, HOWEVER. DON'T FEEL BAD FOR BEING WRONG!!!" Papyrus gave a laugh, and all Frisk and Chara could do was stare at one another. Once he'd calmed down, Papyrus turned a question towards Frisk. "SO, UM... IF YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING... DO YOU WANT TO START HANGING OUT?"

"Wait, we hadn't started yet?" Frisk sat up in surprise. "I thought we'd started already. Umm, yeah, sure! Let's go for it!"

"OKAY!!! LET'S HANG TEN!!" Frisk was surprised to see their SOUL leave their body and hover in front of Papyrus. However, unlike when they had fought before, their SOUL gave off a much gentler glow, and seemed to pulsate lightly, as if beating.

"What's going on? Are we FIGHTING again?"

"No, no, something's different here. Look there - you don't have the option panels like you usually do when you're in a FIGHT. I can't say I've ever seen anything like this before... But it seems perfectly safe." Chara nodded towards Papyrus. "Alright, Frisk, looks like there's more to this than I thought there'd be. So... HANGOUT START!"

"HERE WE ARE!! HANGING OUT!!" Frisk's attention was grabbed by Papyrus' sudden exclamation. They noticed his expression shift to a more wary one - "I'VE ACTUALLY NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE..." \- before returning to his usual excited, happy expression. "BUT DON'T WORRY!!! YOU CAN'T SPELL 'PREPARED' WITHOUT SEVERAL LETTERS FROM MY NAME!"

As Papyrus began fishing around in one of his pockets, Chara let out a light chuckle. "Well, he's not wrong."

"I SNAGGED AN OFFICIAL HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK FROM THE LIBRARY!" Papyrus said, pulling the aforementioned book from his pocket. "WE'RE READY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!"

"Wait, they make those? A guidebook to hanging out?" Chara asked. They cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment. "That doesn't really seem like the kind of thing you'd need a guidebook for."

"Well, I agree with you... But, evidently, Papyrus is kind of insecure about this, so let's just roll with it, okay?" Chara shrugged and nodded in response. "What does the book say, Papyrus?"

Papyrus opened the book, scanning the pages looking for the first thing they were supposed to do. "LET'S SEE... 'STEP ONE... PRESS THE [C] KEY ON YOUR KEYBOARD FOR 'FRIENDSHIP HUD.'"

"My keyboard...? I don't really understand what you-?" Before Frisk could finish their thought, Chara cut them off.

"Try pressing the [C] key on the keyboard by his computer, Frisk. See if that does anything." Not really knowing what else to do, Frisk decided to give it a try. Papyrus watched as they stood up from the bed, walked over to his computer, found the C key, and gave it a light press. A moment later, multiple nonsensical displays that had absolutely nothing to do with friendship appeared in the air around Papyrus. Frisk guessed that they must've been made of magic. "Well that's bizarre."

"WOWIE!!! I FEEL SO INFORMED!!! I THINK WE'RE READY FOR STEP 2!!!" Papyrus flipped the page in the handbook, and began reading the information off of it. "STEP TWO... ASK THEM TO HANG OUT." Placing one finger in the book to mark his place, Papyrus closed it and assumed one of his battle stances. "AHEM! HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL HANG OUT WITH YOU!!!"

Frisk gave a smile, as they walked back over to sit down on the bed once again. "Sure! I'm here, aren't I?"

Papyrus' hands flew to his face. His expression was one of pure joy. "R-REALLY??? WOWIE!!! I GUESS THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR PART THREE!!!" He flipped another page in the book. "STEP THREE... PUT ON NICE CLOTHES TO SHOW YOU CARE!" As Frisk glanced down at their striped shirt, smoothing it out, Papyrus' expression grew increasingly suspicious. "WAIT A SECOND. 'WEAR CLOTHING...' THAT RIBBON IN YOUR HAIR..."

"What about it?" Frisk fiddled with the ribbon. "Is it coming loose? Do you just like it? Or-"

"YOU'RE WEARING CLOTHING RIGHT NOW!!!" Frisk simply blinked in response.

"Well, of course I am."

"AND NOT ONLY THAT... EARLIER TODAY, YOU WERE ALSO WEARING CLOTHING!" Papyrus seemed in thought.

"Well.... yeah. Of course I was. Uh.... Where are you going with this exactly...?"

"NO... COULD IT BE??? YOU'VE WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!??"

Frisk sheepishly rubbed the back of their neck. "Listen, I've got to be honest with you, Papyrus... I didn't really want to hang out at first... You kinda scared me a bit. But that was before I found out how nice you are!" Frisk's words seemed to shake Papyrus - quite literally, in fact. Oddly enough, all of the meaningless displays vanished after Frisk spoke.

"DESPITE THAT.... YOU CHOSE TO WEAR CLOTHING TODAY, OF ALL DAYS...?"

"Does he like not get that humans wear clothing ALL the time on ALL days?!" Chara asked, letting out a light chuckle as they finished their question. "God, Papyrus is as great as his brother... I'd say you made a good choice coming here, Frisk!" Frisk let out a quiet giggle in response.

"WAS YOUR FRIENDSHIP... PREDESTINED!?!? N-NOOOO!!! YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER!!!" Frisk and Chara both took a step back as Papyrus shook once again. However, this time, a bar appeared over his head, labeled 'FRIENDSHIP.' It filled about a quarter of the way up with blue, before Papyrus recovered from his shock and let out a nervous laugh. "DON'T THINK YOU'VE BESTED ME YET!" Frisk had to roll their eyes as a box labelled 'TENSION' made its way into their field of vision, as if from nowhere. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... HAVE NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT HANGING OUT, AND I NEVER WILL! I CAN EASILY KEEP UP WITH YOU!!! YOU SEE, I, TOO, CAN WEAR CLOTHING!"

"I can see that," Frisk said, a playful smile on their face. Papyrus was so silly, in the best possible way.

"IN FACT... I ALWAYS WEAR MY 'SPECIAL' CLOTHES UNDERNEATH MY REGULAR CLOTHES!! JUST IN CASE SOMEONE WANTS TO HANG OUT! BEHOLD!!!" Papyrus ran into his closet in order to change. He wasn't gone particularly long, but when he came back, his 'battle body' had been replaced with a baseball cap, a pair of sneakers, a pair of shorts, basketball shoulder orbs, and a top that read 'COOL DUDE.' "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SECRET STYLE!?!"

Chara could hardly contain their laughter. "Oh my GOD he's amazing! He wears this under his battle body JUST IN CASE someone wants to hang out?! Okay, okay... F-Frisk, what do you think? I love his style!"

"Me too! I mean, I like my striped sweaters, but Papyrus looks great in that outfit!" They turned their attention back to Papyrus. "I love it. I think it looks great on you!"

"NO!!! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT...!!!" Papyrus shook once more, and the 'FRIENDSHIP' bar filled up to about 3 quarters full. However, Papyrus' expression then shifted to a sly look. "HOWEVER... YOU DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER OF THIS OUTFIT!!! THEREFORE... WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID!!!" As Papyrus said this, the 'FRIENDSHIP' bar then drained slightly, to just slightly over half.

"Well, I... I don't really think it was invalid, but... alright. If you say so." Frisk's hands found a home in their pockets.

"THIS HANG-OUT WON'T ESCALATE ANY FURTHER! ...UNLESS YOU FIND MY SECRET!! BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN!!" Papyrus stood expectantly, as if waiting for Frisk to do something. They glanced at Chara, who shrugged.

"I dunno. Ask him about his shirt, maybe?" Frisk nodded and turned their attention back to Papyrus. They noticed their SOUL was still floating in front of him, so they willed it around to Papyrus' shirt, and gave it a little nudge.

"Is it your shirt?"

Papyrus, however, shook his head. However, before Frisk had a chance to guess again, he said, "THIS SHIRT DIDN'T ORIGINALLY SAY 'COOL.' BUT I IMPROVED IT. EXPERT TIP, ALL CLOTHING ARTICLES CAN BE IMPROVED THIS WAY. HOWEVER, THAT IS NOT MY SECRET."

"Oh, that's cool! You know how to color shirts and put designs on them then?" Papyrus gave a nod. "Oh, that's really interesting! Maybe you could teach me sometime!"

Papyrus gave a happy nod, before saying, "GO AHEAD, HUMAN. CONTINUE TRYING TO FIND MY SECRET, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN!" Frisk thought a moment, before moving their SOUL up to Papyrus' head and giving his hat a nudge. "MY HAT...? MY HAT. MY HAT!" Papyrus gave a laugh as his hat levitated off his head. "W-WELL THEN... YOU FOUND MY SECRET. I SUPPOSE I HAVE NO CHOICE! IT'S A PRESENT... A PRESENT J-JUST FOR YOU!!!" Frisk gasped as Papyrus reached up and took the present off his head, holding it out for the child.

"Really...? A present for me...?" Papyrus nodded, and Frisk took the gift in their hands, setting it on the floor and proceeding to open it. Inside was a plate of spaghetti. They glanced back up at Papyrus, who held his hands together excitedly.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?"

"Wh- Is... Is that more spaghetti...?" Chara asked, looking over Frisk's shoulder.

"Y-Yes, I think so...," Frisk responded.

"'SPAGHETTI.' THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, ISN'T IT?" Frisk nodded in response. "RIGHT! BUT OH-SO WRONG! THIS AIN'T ANY PLAIN 'OL PASTA!"

This captured Frisk's attention. "Oh? What's special about it?"

Papyrus clenched his fists close to his chin, as he explained, "THIS IS AN ARTISIAN'S WORK! SILKEN SPAGHETTI, FINELY AGED IN AN OAKEN CASK..."

"I, uh, don't think spaghetti is meant to be aged..." Chara scratched at their ear.

"...THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!" Frisk looked down at the pasta once again. Upon close inspection, it looked rather dry. But, evidently, Papyrus was passionate about his cooking. It made Frisk wonder if it tasted better than it looked. "HUMAN!!! IT'S TIME TO END THIS!! THERE'S NO WAY THIS CAN GO ANY FURTHER!"

Frisk simply smiled and lifted the plate of spaghetti out of the box. "Well, alright, if that's what you want. But I feel like I should thank you for the gift." They took the fork sticking out of the spaghetti in one hand and lifted it. "So, thank you." Chara's eyes widened as Frisk took a bite of the spaghetti. Almost immediately, Frisk's face scrunched up in response to the flavor.

"So... How's it taste...?" Frisk didn't respond right away. "...Frisk...?"

"......There.... Are no words..." Their face still hadn't quite recovered, and the more they chewed the spaghetti, the worse it seemed to taste. It did seem to make them feel a bit more energetic, however, and once they had finished their bite, they quietly set the plate onto the floor.

"WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION!!! YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING! AND, BY EXTENSION, ME!!!" Papyrus' eyes went wide as a sudden thought occurred to him. "MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN I DO!!!"

"I-I don't know if I'd go THAT far..." Frisk responded, weakly. However, Papyrus didn't seem to notice what they'd said.

"AUGH!!!" Papyrus shook again, and the 'FRIENDSHIP' bar filled up a little more. "URRRGH!!!" He shook once more. "NOOOOOOOO!!!" Suddenly, the 'FRIENDSHIP' bar filled up completely, but it didn't stop there. It continued filling beyond its limits, and soon afterwards, Papyrus' expression returned to normal. "HUMAN. IT'S CLEAR NOW."

"Wait, what's clear...?" Frisk tilted their head in confusion.

"YOU'RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ME." At that, Chara immediately burst into laughter.

"Is that what he thinks?! Oh my GOD!"

Frisk, however, seemed rather shocked. "W-What? Err, Papyrus, I don't think you-" But before Frisk could finish their sentence, Papyrus continued.

"EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT'S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE." A tear seemed to come to Papyrus' eye. "HUMAN. I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, TOO. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS."

"Right, but Papyrus, I don't think you-" Again, Papyrus cut Frisk off.

"IT'S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I, PAPYRUS..." ...But Papyrus trailed off after that. He looked deep in thought. "HMM... WELL, I'M FLATTERED YOU CARE SO MUCH. BUT MAYBE COOL IT A LITTLE BIT...?" He shook his head. "YOU ARE A VERY NICE PERSON. I'M GLAD WE'RE FRIENDS."

"I- Oh, umm... Th-Thanks! I'm glad we're friends, too!" Frisk gave Papyrus a big smile.

Papyrus then continued, "BUT, I THINK YOU CAN REACH YOUR MAX POTENTIAL... IF YOU LIVE MORE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, RATHER THAN JUST FOR MINE." He gave Frisk a gentle pat on the head.

Frisk gave a light chuckle. "If you say so."

"HMM..." Papyrus thought about something for a moment, before snapping his fingers and looking Frisk in the eyes. "HEY, I KNOW THE SOLUTION!!! YOU SHOULD HANG OUT WITH MY BOSS, UNDYNE!!! I THINK IF YOU SPREAD YOUR FRIEND-ENERGY OUT MORE... YOU'LL HAVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE."

"Oh, you mean make more friends? Yeah, I could try that! All of you Monsters seem so friendly, so I don't see a reason not to make friends with your boss!"

Papyrus pumped his fist. "YEAH!!! LET'S BE FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE!!!" He laughed as he turned and ran out of his room. Frisk was about to follow after him when he came running back in, holding a slip of paper. "OH, AND IF YOU EVER NEED TO REACH ME... HERE'S MY PHONE NUMBER." He handed the paper to Frisk, who gently folded it and placed it in their pocket. "YOU CAN CALL ME ANY TIME!" Frisk looked up to him, a smile on their face. "PLATONICALLY." This caused both Frisk and Chara to giggle.

"Well there go my plans," Frisk joked. Papyrus playfully rolled his eyes.

"WELL, GOTTA GO!" Once again, Papyrus ran off laughing. Frisk glanced at Chara as they stepped up beside them.

"So, hey... That spaghetti... Did you really like it...?" Frisk looked down, staring at their feet for a moment, before shaking their head no. "Well, what was wrong with it?"

"Too dry. And I don't even know how to describe how it tasted. All I know is spaghetti isn't supposed to taste like that. I'd know, I've made spaghetti before. ...Well... HELPED make spaghetti..."

Chara gave a chuckle before nodding towards the door. "Better watch out, Frisk, you're meeting all of Papyrus' standards!" As Frisk's SOUL returned to its host, the two walked out of Papyrus' room and back towards Waterfall.


End file.
